A Path Well Traveled
by Saya Moonshadow
Summary: Years later, destiny calls. But no one ever said it would be easy. "Destiny is not who you are. It is who you can become." Sequel to The Road Not Taken.
1. Once Upon A Time

**Wow, are we starting the sequel **_**already**_**?! o-o; Looks like it. As stated at the end of **_**The Road Not Taken**_**, I left it open for a sequel if I could get off my lazy ass long enough, and...well...it looks like I have.**

**One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to GO!**

**Disclaimer: Anyone you don't recognize as canon belongs to me. Siahta and Sayla belong to **_**Sylla Shadowfrost**_**. Shay Moonsilk****belongs to **_**Shay Moonsilk**_**. Everyone else is property of LEGO Enterprises. "Stand My Ground" belongs to Within Temptation.**

**Summary: ****Eighteen years after the Shadow Wars, Matob, Vakama's daughter, is finally ready to accept the throne which her father denied after the death of Pridak. But no one ever said it would be easy to take the throne. A tournament for the crown is set up. The catch? Honor makes no appearance in Freezeheart's Regent Council, and in order to make sure Matob and her friends don't win, a series of some of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen is pitted against them. At the same time, runaway slave Rowan battles desperately for his people's freedom, risking all to prove that his parentage is the least of everyone's worries about him. Despite his initial shortcomings, he offers Matob his help, and together, along with Eefera, Aki, Jing, and Nicole, they are an almost unbeatable force. **_**I just know there's no escape now, once it sets its eyes on you. But I won't run; I have to stare it in the eye. **_**"Destiny is not who you are...it is who you can become."**

**A Path Well Traveled  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_I can see   
When you stay low nothing happens   
Does it feel right...?"_

X x X

_Once upon a time, there was a Toa of Fire named Vakama. Vakama made a mistake once, a very serious mistake. For that mistake, he was banished from his home, the city-island Metru Nui, and forced into the dark, cold sea. While searching for a new home, Vakama was caught in a terrible storm, and lost his memory. He was taken in by the six Barraki, who called him "Pyro", and for ten years stayed with them, learning their ways...and how to be a warrior._

_After those ten years, Metru Nui came under attack by both Odina and Xia, and Turaga Dume was forced to send for help. Pridak accepted his plea, not knowing that "Pyro" was their missing Fire Toa. Once there, Toa Nokama made a deal with him: if she were able to fully restore Vakama's memory before the war ended, he would stay with her forevermore. But if she didn't, then Pridak would kill her._

_Also helping Metru Nui was the King of Skyde-Trofast, Ryoku Binary, as well as a former teammate of Toa Lhikan's, a Hordika called Natay. But even with the forces of Skyde-Trofast and the Toa Hordika of Power Scream, the victory was harsh._

_During a fight, Toa Nuju captured a young Dark Hunter called Toa Siahta, and befriended her, learning some secrets from her. Later, Whenua would help another Dark Hunter, Toa Shay, to free the Hordika Malvado from their clutches, risking her own life to do so._

_During this time, Nokama was seriously injured, and it took a huge toll on Vakama. Feelings he couldn't remember before were reawakened, and he began to recall things about his past life. Unbeknownst to him, he was also once again falling in love with Nokama, although he would not realize it until much later._

_Finally, the time of decisions came to pass, and the two sides clashed in an epic battle. Toa Matau successfully defeated the Kanohi dragon and Queen Tsuyayaka of Xia, and for the second time, Whenua defeated the Dark Hunter Mano of Xia, this time rendering his hands useless. Nuju and Siahta teamed up to kill Mano's partner Shinoda, and Nokama put paid to several Vortixx herself._

_Pridak and the Shadowed One clashed, and Pridak was mortally wounded. In a fit of rage, Vakama took over his mentor's battle, and, after a difficult trial, managed to kill the Shadowed One. However, the Shadowed One, in his last breath, struck Vakama in the very place he was struck the night ten years ago when he lost his memory, and the Fire Toa fell._

_Days later, he awoke. This time, though, he could remember! He remembered everything about his past life...and what had happened. When he next saw Pridak, the Northern King was dying. Vakama refused to become the next Northern King, but promised Pridak that there would be another heir someday soon. With a smile on his mouth, Pridak died._

_Vakama and Nokama married, and later had a beautiful little girl that Matau named Mataub, although the girl herself preferred to spell it "M-A-T-O-B", saying the real spelling was too close to her "uncle's" for her liking. Meanwhile, Onewa and Natay married and had a daughter named Nicole. Nuju and Siahta had two children, Jingo and Sayla, and Matau had a son with a traveling Toa named Tazuna, although he would not see Eefera for another five years until Tazuna brought him back and gave him to him._

_Vakama never fully explained to Matob her true destiny, saying only that he would tell her eventually. It would take fifteen years and much coaxing before he even considered telling her._

_But now...now Matob's destiny is about to unfold, and much bigger than she thought possible._

X x X

"_Late at night   
Things I thought I put behind me   
Haunt my mind."  
--Within Temptation, "Stand My Ground"_

X x X

**AN: -sigh- Do you really need to ask? Yes, I AM an attention whore, thanks for noticing. I can't help it - I love to write. And since I had such a spanking good time with **_**The Road Not Taken**_**, why not continue it? I already planned to anyway, but it's a BIT ahead of schedule. Anyway, I hope this is up to standard, and that you enjoy it! -good guy pose-**

**Review, please!**

**PS: As you may have noticed, I have somewhat changed the spelling of the main character's name. This was to avoid confusion of how it's pronounced, and because even though I love the name, it was too much like "Matau" for my liking XD**


	2. A Sort of Homecoming

**Sorry for the long wait, but I had major writer's block for absolutely EVERYTHING. -kicks it- Oh well, now that the Wrecking Crew of Saya's Head has done its business, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

**Disclaimer: Anyone you don't recognize as canon belongs to me. Siahta and Sayla belong to **_**Sylla Shadowfrost**_**. Shay Moonsilk belongs to **_**Shay Moonsilk**_**. Nicole belongs to **_**Arya-Metru**_**. Everyone else is property of LEGO Enterprises. "Stand My Ground" belongs to Within Temptation.**

**Summary: Eighteen years after the Shadow Wars, Matob, Vakama's daughter, is finally ready to accept the throne which her father denied after the death of Pridak. But no one ever said it would be easy to take the throne. A tournament for the crown is set up. The catch? Honor makes no appearance in Freezeheart's Regent Council, and in order to make sure Matob and her friends don't win, a series of some of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen is pitted against them. At the same time, runaway slave Rowan battles desperately for his people's freedom, risking all to prove that his parentage is the least of everyone's worries about him. Despite his initial shortcomings, he offers Matob his help, and together, along with Eefera, Aki, Jing, and Nicole, they are an almost unbeatable force. **_**I just know there's no escape now, once it sets its eyes on you. But I won't run; I have to stare it in the eye. **_**"Destiny is not who you are...it is who you can become."**

**A Path Well Traveled  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_I just know there's no escape now   
Once it sets its eyes on you..."_

X x X

Fere Nui was shrouded in mist, as always, but today, it felt different. The sole inhabitant of the island, a big gray Toa Hordika, paused and sniffed the air, frowning a bit.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

It didn't smell right. After living for years on his nose and ears alone, he would know, although the newly regained use of his eyesight was definitely a benefit. But he'd learned not to trust his eyes in the mist - all too often it swirled and looked like something it was not.

Sometimes he saw his foster daughter in the mist, but when he blinked, she was gone. Perhaps he was crazy. He didn't know. He'd been living here alone for years now, and maybe he WAS crazy. There was no one around to tell him otherwise, so how would he know?

Something squelched in the marshes to his right, and he crouched down, feeling his teeth bare in a feral snarl, his hackles raising dangerously. Whatever it was that was watching him, he didn't like it. It smelled and sounded nothing like the usual monsters that stalked the marshes. They were beasts, and knew nothing more than their game of catch-the-prey that always ended in bloodshed. They were loud.

This new thing was not.

His eyes darted back and forth, searching. For once, he was thankful about their hypnotizing power. Anything that looked him directly in the eyes would be instantly transfixed.

The thing squelched again, and suddenly, he was surrounded.

"Malvado Fere." The thing's voice was flat, monotonous. Like the blade of a knife. "You will be coming with us."

Malvado had no answer other than a snarl, and the being blinked. It reminded him of something, some_one_, but what--?

He looked it in the eye and held its gaze.

After a few seconds, the thing laughed, and his blood ran cold. His hypnosis had never failed to work before, so why hadn't it worked now? Against his will, he felt tremors begin to break out along his spine.

"Hypnosis - impressive." the being said. "But no use against me." He looked at the other five surrounding the Hordika and turned away. "Take him."

Simultaneously, they all pounced, and he leaped away, running straight for the small hut he had built in the center of the island. They chased him, but almost silently, and he had to strain just to pinpoint their locations. Once at his hut, he grabbed the microphone connected to the big screen on the wall - the one piece of technology to be found on Fere Nui.

"Siahta," he shouted into the microphone as the screen buzzed with static. "Siahta, I need help! They're after--"

The other wall to his hut was blown apart in a shattering of wood and metal. Malvado painfully picked splinters off of himself, grimacing as he dragged a particularly large one out of his arm, and kept talking. "Siahta, if you can hear me--"

"GET HIM!" one of the beings behind him shouted, and they surrounded him again.

Malvado stood no chance. Within moments, the big gray Hordika was lying on the wooden floor, bound with chains, and struggling against the weight of the one sitting on top of him.

The leader looked at them dispassionately from the hole in the wall, and then walked over to the microphone. He picked it up, studied it a moment, and then spoke into it. "There is no need or cause for anyone to heed this call. By the time you arrive, this island will be vacated. Malvado Fere is mine now. Ninian has spoken."

Ninian, for that was his name, threw the microphone to the floor, where it shattered. He smiled at the bound and gagged Hordika. "Calling for help, tsk tsk. You should know better."

Malvado could do nothing as he was still bound, but he managed to spit out the gag and snarl, "Go to Karzahni, you foul, dirt-faced--" He let out a howl of pain as something slashed across his face, and attempted to get free again. Ninian's smile was cold.

"Slaves do not address their masters as such. Come now, we must get back on the ship."

Within moments, they were gone.

X x X

The suns hadn't even risen yet, but already one member of the household was awake, and bouncing up and down. Today was the day! Today was the day!

She dashed out of her room, tripping over the various items on the floor, and into her parents' room, where she leaped straight onto the back of the red being that was sleeping peacefully. He jerked upward with a wheeze, waking the other occupant of the bed.

"Daaaaad!" the jumper yelled. "Dad! Guess what day it is! Guess, guess, guess!"

"Let me guess," Vakama Metru said, shoving her off where she flopped, giggling into her mother. "The day you finally explode from excitement?"

"Nope!" she laughed, sitting up. "Daaaaaad, did you forget? Eefera's coming home today!"

Vakama sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember that. How long has it been, eight years?"

"That it has." his wife, Nokama answered. She smiled at her daughter. "I'm sure your father will go with you to greet them later, Matob. The ship was sighted last night. Eefera will be here before you know it."

Vakama groaned. "And Matau's coming back too...ahhh. It's been peaceful these last eight years without him and Eefera around."

Matob giggled. "Now come on, I wanna be the first one to greet them!"

Her father sighed, but consented. "Alright, alright. Just gimme a minute, OK?" She smiled and hopped off the bed, dancing out of the room. Vakama sighed again, and smiled at his wife. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then heaved himself up. "Well, now that I'm awake, I might as well get a move on. Let's just hope these past eight years have matured Eefera a little bit."

Nokama grinned. "He's Matau's son, Vakama. You honestly expect him to have changed?"

He groaned. "Now that you mention it, no."

"DAD!" Matob's voice came calling from out of their room. "COME ON! I WANNA GET GOING!"

He laughed and said goodbye, then walked out of the room to get his daughter.

X x X

Jingo Metru was not the most motivated being the world had ever produced, but he was still a Toa, and he still had a family that he loved and cared for with all his might. Granted, sometimes he wished they would leave him alone, but he still loved them.

He flexed his fingers and yawned, eyes slipping from the screen in front of him. He was bored, and it was way too hot in the communications room for him, but he had been assigned this shift, and couldn't get out of it. His father was very stern, after all.

"Hallo, Brother!"

Jing had to suppress a groan at the chipper voice behind him, and slumped in his seat. Maybe if he pretended well enough, she'd think he was asleep and leave him alone--

Sayla frowned at her older brother, then tugged on his shoulder. "I know you're awake! Stop pretending, you can't fool me!"

"No, I s'pose I can't," Jing mumbled, still not opening his eyes. "Go 'way, Sayla. I'm on duty."

She snorted. "There's nothing coming through the communicator right now," she reminded him. "After your shift's over, Mother says we can go see if the ship's come yet!"

When her brother looked at her blankly, she sighed. "Did you forget?! Matau an' Eefera are coming back today!"

"Joy." he muttered. "Eefera the Terror's coming back? Simply amazing. I knew the peace couldn't last."

Sayla laughed and thumped him on the back, then tugged on the bandana tied around his neck. "Yup, yup!"

She had no more time to talk, as the screen suddenly crackled to life, and the image of a big gray Hordika came on. He was speaking frantically into the microphone in his hands, and Jing had already flinched and looked away from the bright yellow eyes.

"_Siahta,"_ he shouted. _"Siahta, I need help! They're after--"_

The back wall of wherever he was exploded suddenly, and strange creatures poured in. The Hordika shielded himself from the exploding wood, and kept talking. _"Siahta, if you can hear me--"_

"_GET HIM!"_ the leader of the creatures ordered, and the screen buzzed with static again. Through the ear-wrenching buzz, a voice could be heard. _"There is no need or cause for anyone to heed this call. By the time you arrive, this island will be vacated. Malvado Fere is mine now. Ninian has spoken."_

And it was over.

"What was THAT?" Sayla asked, and looked at her older brother. "Brother? What happened?"

Jing's throat tightened, but he managed to reply, "Something bad. Wait here while I get Mother."

Five minutes later, Siahta Tora was staring wide-eyed at the screen as the message her former teacher and foster father had sent was replayed, and turned to her son, eyes wide. "Did this come in just now?"

Jing nodded. "Yeah, it did. Mother, is he OK?"

"Wait a minute!" Sayla piped up. "Who is he? I'm in the dark here!"

Siahta managed a smile. "That was my teacher, a long time ago. He raised me, so I suppose he's sort of your grandfather."

Jing nodded again. "He sang the song about the rain when I was a baby."

"How come I never met him?" Sayla asked, still confused.

"He left when you were a baby," Siahta explained, still frowning at the screen. She was silent for a moment, then said, "Jing, as soon as possible, you and I are leaving for Fere Nui. Sayla, tell your father about this, please."

Her son and daughter nodded and both scooted off as fast as they could, while Siahta replayed the message again.

He looked so scared, she thought. That was hard to do. Malvado Fere was scared of almost nothing. Whoever it was that had attacked him must have rattled him pretty badly. She frowned, freeze-framing the screen and peering at the beings in the background. They looked vaguely familiar, but she just couldn't place it.

She had to do something, and it was without regret that she spun the dial on the machine next to the screen, listening to the buzz of static, and then the cheerful voice she had once been partnered with break through.

X x X

Eefera grinned at his father, who was dripping wet and glaring at him fiercely. The grin quickly became a laugh as Matau snapped, "If Artahka had had to put up with you as long as I have, he would have married Karzahni instead of founding the Toa Order!"

The Storm Toa laughed good-naturedly and patted his father's head. "Awh come on, old man, water isn't gonna hurt you! After all, you could use the bath." He winked, and in spite of himself, Matau grinned.

"It's been a while," the Air Toa said, staring at the island, now so close. "Only a few more hours till we're safe-home!"

Eefera nodded, his mind already elsewhere, to his father's amusement. "Thinking of someone special?" the Air Toa asked, elbowing him in the ribs and grinning. His son blushed and shoved him off. "Obviously not of you! Leave me alone! Hey, I see land! LAAAAAAAAAAAAND!"

Matau grinned and leaned into the wind and sea spray. He, too, could see the island coming up, very fast indeed. He just hoped not too many things had changed - eight years was a long time, after all.

X x X

Two hours later, the ship docked, and, with a whoop of joy, Eefera leaped off the deck railing and onto the dock. Almost immediately, a blue blur hit him in the chest, and Matau drew his aero slicers, but stopped when he realized what had just happened. A teasing grin split his face at the bright blush coloring his son's cheeks, but he really couldn't blame him: for, with her arms wrapped around his waist, laughing and yelling with joy, was Matob. And Eefera had had a crush on Matob since day one.

The Toa Metru of Air disembarked the boat, closing his eyes as the wind danced around him. It was welcoming, swirling over him, laughing as joyously as Matob was. _Welcome home!_ it cried, and he smiled. If it had been tangible, he would have embraced it, so happy it was.

Instead, he directed his smile to Vakama, who had come with his daughter to greet them. The Toa of Fire grinned and grabbed his hand, shaking it hard, belting out a welcome.

Matau laughed. "Good to see you too, firespitter! It's been too long, eh?"

Vakama's grin widened. "Wait'll you see the rest of the kids - they're huge. You'd never believe how big Jing's gotten, or Nicole, or Aki. Granted, Aki's still a little short, but she's got some way to grow yet."

The Air Toa glanced at their two children, still hugging and laughing and talking, and said, "I'll have to see them later then. So, what's the news here? Anything been happenin' that I should true-know about?"

"Not that I know of." Vakama took his arm and called to their son and daughter, "Oi, hurry up over there! We're takin' off!"

In a trice, Matob had dashed over, almost crashing into them and throwing sand all over the place from skidding so much. She smiled and bowed to Matau. "Sorry for not sayin' hi before, Uncle! I was just so happy to see Eefera--"

Matau laughed again and embraced her. "Not a problem, little beauty. He's a sight for sore eyes alright!" He laughed harder when Eefera scowled at him. Some things never changed.

X x X

By the time they got back to the main city, the majority of the Matoran had woken up and were already busy with their various jobs. Their trek took them through Le-Metru, and Matau breathed in deep, still feeling the joyous wind blowing around him. By Eefera's frequent glances in his direction, he knew his atmokinetic son could feel it too. But Eefera's powers worked in a different way from his. Whereas he merely worked with the wind and only the wind, Eefera could summon storms of any and all variety, using not only wind but water and electricity as well. As such, he was sensitive to wind, but when it came down to it, it was his father who was master of the air.

The Storm Toa focused his attention on Matob now. He had been a mere eight years old when he had seen her last, and besides her height, she obviously hadn't changed much. She was still the same happy-go-lucky Matob he'd known before. He wondered how much their other friends had changed.

The sound of exuberant singing reached his ears, and he grinned, squinting at the orange figure strolling through the streets. Beside him, Matob grinned as well, straightening up and waving. "Nicole! OVER HERE!"

Still singing, Nicole, Toa of Power Scream and daughter of Onewa Metru and Natay Hordika, performed a little hop-skip dance, her song culminating as she skidded to a halt in front of them. Then, without further ado, she grabbed Eefera into a hug, a virtual miasma of sound pouring from out of her mouth. Matau had already winced and taken cover behind the nearest thing, which turned out to be Vakama.

"EEFERA!" the power screamer cried, the words ten times louder than what was comfortable for the ears, "YOU'RE HOME! YOU'RE HOME! OH, I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT! WAIT'LL I TELL MY DAD! HE'LL BE SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU, AN' MATAU TOO!"

Eefera couldn't speak; he was being squeezed too hard. Rather than see his son die from having his eardrums burst, Matau kicked Vakama (who was laughing) in the shins and confronted her, smiling strainedly. "Ah, Nicole, still the loudest thing in the district - exceptin' yore mother, of course! Might wanna keep it down a bit though, dear - I might not have a son by the time it's over!"

Nicole blinked down at Eefera, who by now had taken to the age-old defense mechanism used by creatures in the teen years everywhere - slumping down and making his body as limp as it would go. She looked helplessly at Matob, who burst into laughter and clapped.

Matau snorted and poked his son in the stomach, smirking as Eefera gave a shriek and dropped. Smiling again, Nicole grabbed him by the shoulder and heaved him up. "It's good to see you again!" she said, this time in a normal voice. "It's been way too long!" She giggled.

"At least I don't have to worry about Jing or Aki glomp-tackling him," Matau muttered to Vakama, who hid a grin behind his hand. "If I did, I'd just hide him in the closet until they got used to the fact that we're back so I wouldn't have to worry about his safety-health!"

"Don't count on it." Vakama told him. "Wait'll you see Nuju and Siahta's daughter, Sayla. If anyone on this island enjoys hugs, it's her. Once she figures out he won't hurt her, you can bet she'll hug him faster than you can blink."

Matau looked slightly worried at this, but managed to shrug it off. "Eh, it'll do him some good, I s'pose. So, Nuju's got another one? S'a wonder how he puts up with it! After all, when Jing was still small enough to bounce-climb on my knee, he was doin' algebra!"

Vakama nodded. "He's even smarter now, if you can believe it. When him and Nuju get going, I can't stay in the conversation. They just go too fast for me. Sayla - the daughter - turned out normal though, thank Mata Nui. No quantum physics for that one - at least, not yet anyway." He trailed off, lost in thought. Yes, things HAD changed in the past however many years it had been since...

He couldn't put it off forever. Matob would have to know of her destiny. She couldn't just be under the impression that she would only ever be one of this island's protectors, after all.

He cleared his throat. "Actually, Matau, I know you just got back and all, but there's something I have to ask you..."

X x X

"_But I won't run  
Have to stare it in the eye."  
--Within Temptation, "Stand My Ground"_

X x X

**AN: Hm, strange how things are falling together for this one. Probably won't be as good as **_**The Road Not Taken **_**was (as a general rule, sequels are rarely as good as the original, haha), but I shall do my best! I can still use some characters, though. If there's a character you particularly want to see, then please let me know. Obviously though, since this is rather AU (see **_**The Road Not Taken**_** for more details), some things WILL be different. Also, accepting OCs for the Tournament contenders. I refuse to make up that many characters, even though there will be a bunch of canon characters in there as well.**

**Review, please!**


	3. Get Over It

Sorry for the long wait, but I had major writer's block for absolutely EVERYTHING

**Now that I've finally got the requests that I needed to do out of the way, I'm free to work on this again! This chapter seems more filler-ish than anything, but it DOES have some important stuff in it, so there. Read it anyway, you bums!**

**Disclaimer: Anyone you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me. Siahta and Sayla belong to **_**Sylla Shadowfrost**_**. Shay Moonsilk belongs to **_**Shay Moonsilk**_**. Nicole belongs to **_**Arya-Metru**_**. Everyone else is property of LEGO Enterprises. "Stand My Ground" belongs to Within Temptation.**

**Summary: Eighteen years after the Shadow Wars, Matob, Vakama's daughter, is finally ready to accept the throne which her father denied after the death of Pridak. But no one ever said it would be easy to take the throne. A tournament for the crown is set up. The catch? Honor makes no appearance in Freezeheart's Regent Council, and in order to make sure Matob and her friends don't win, a series of some of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen is pitted against them. At the same time, runaway slave Rowan battles desperately for his people's freedom, risking all to prove that his parentage is the least of everyone's worries about him. Despite his initial shortcomings, he offers Matob his help, and together, along with Eefera, Aki, Jing, and Nicole, they are an almost unbeatable force. **_**I just know there's no escape now, once it sets its eyes on you. But I won't run; I have to stare it in the eye. **_**"Destiny is not who you are...it is who you can become."**

**A Path Well Traveled  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_Stand my ground   
I won't give in   
No more denying,   
I've got to face it..."_

X x X

_Far away..._

_Across the sea..._

_In a land where summer never comes..._

_In a land where winter is eternal..._

_Where finding dead frozen bodies in the snow is a normal thing..._

_Where children are sold into slavery by their own parents..._

_Hope makes almost no appearances._

X x X

"_Keorin. -kssshhhh- Keorin!"_

"What is it? I'm working."

"_Hurry up -kkksssshhh- finish! They'll be back any minute now."_

"You worry too much. I'm fine, OK? Almost done..."

"_Frag-- -kksshhhhh- Keorin, get the heck outta there! They're -ksshhh- back!"_

"Already?! Agh! OK, I'm coming. Hup two, hup two!"

The one on the other end of the line breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his friend running through the halls of the castle he was hiding outside of. If she had been caught...

He brushed the thought away and continued crouching behind the snow drift, pulling his tattered cape tighter around himself to keep warm. The communicator in his hand was staticky, but he was just grateful it even worked at all. His younger friend was quite smart when it came to inventing and building things, after all.

He didn't have to wait long for her, because the shabby door he was crouched outside opened, and Keorin slunk out, carrying a huge sheaf of papers, careful not to let the falling snow get on them and ruin the information they carried. Her companion grabbed her by the hand and together, they hurried away as fast as they could without being seen.

X x X

"Did you get it all?" he panted as they ran, pulling his hood up. She shook her head. "Not all of it, but nearly - you startled me just as the thing was finishing printing all this. I had to cancel the action on the last few pages - stupid thing nearly exploded on me. Huh, my homemade things work better than their 'state-of-the-art' gadgets do!"

He grinned. "So modest. But you know what those last pages said?"

"Yup. I read through everything while it was printing. They're still going through with their plans, looks like." She looked uncertain now. "Rowan, what do we do now?"

Rowan squared his jaw. "We stop 'em, that's what! I swear, as long as I'm living, Koriseva isn't gonna rule Freezeheart!"

Keorin clucked her tongue, but said no more. She knew better than to try to stop him when got like this. It just didn't work.

He continued speaking. "And someday, King Pridak's gonna come back an' kick Koriseva outta office! Till then, we gotta make sure Koriseva isn't crowned king just yet."

Keorin shook her head. It was just a gut feeling, but she was fairly certain that the king that was so idolized among her people wasn't going to come back.

X x X

When they got back to their home, they breathed a sigh of relief. They were back home safely, and no one from the castle had followed!

Rowan uncovered the hidden entrance and gestured to Keorin to hurry through, which she did, still clutching the papers in her arms. He yanked his hood back as he entered himself and re-hid the entrance.

Once inside, though, they found that they weren't QUITE as home free as they'd thought. From one end of the dark front room, a pair of violet eyes snapped open, and a voice, chillingly cold, spoke.

"Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

Keorin giggled nervously. "Ahaha, Lady Rave, we were just, uh--"

"Silence!" the speaker barked, and Keorin gave a tiny squeak and shut her mouth. The speaker finally stepped into the dim light, her arms crossed over her chest, and eyes narrowed dangerously. "Shame on both of you!" she snarled at them, and both cowered. "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times - _DON'T LEAVE THE LAIR WITHOUT ME OR ZAYU WITH YOU_!"

"But--" Rowan tried to say, but she cut him off. "Keorin I can't blame because she's so young, but you, Rowan! You're almost an adult now! I thought you were smarter than that."

"I am--" Rowan tried again, but no use. She was in quite the temper, and he would just have to wait it out. "And what's worse about it is that you're not just setting a bad example, you're ENCOURAGING Keorin and Tazer to help you! I assume Keorin was the one who did the infiltrating?" Keorin nodded helplessly.

The scolder sighed. "Look, guys, do you have any idea how devastated your parents would be if I allowed you to come to any harm? I understand that you want to be free - _so do the rest of us_. But you CAN'T just--"

"Well, it doesn't matter what my parents think, because they're both dead!" Rowan snapped. "My mother wasn't even strong enough to live through giving birth to me--"

"Your mother was very sick, and don't you dare speak ill of her!" Reha snapped at him. "It's a miracle she lived as long as she did--"

"Look, will you stop treating me like a kid?!" he shouted at her. "You said it yourself, I'm almost an adult! I can take care of myself! And at least I'm actually doing something, instead of just sitting here and waiting around! When King Pridak comes back, he'll see that SOMEONE'S tried to do something and that we're still faithful--"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Reha bellowed, and he fell silent. She glared at him. "Go to your rooms - both of you. NOW." she snapped. "Keorin, give me those papers. At least you didn't risk your lives for nothing, I suppose--"

Rowan skulked out of the room, giving her a very ugly look as he went. Keorin chuckled nervously as Reha looked over the papers, one brow raised. "I see..." she muttered. "Well, not wasting any resources, are they?" She looked at Keorin. "My order still stands - go to your room. I put Zayu in there to wait for you. Feed him while you're at it, I didn't have time to."

"K." Keorin gave her a smile and left. But then she poked her head back through the doorway. "Ah...Lady Rave?"

"What?" Reha was now going back over the papers.

"Um...me and Rowan...we're not in trouble, are we?"

Reha laughed. "No, you're not, Keorin. I'm still annoyed with you, though, so don't push your luck."

Keorin laughed. "Thanks, Lady Rave!" She was about to leave again, but stopped. Reha had turned around to keep going over the papers, and her back was thrown into the light. The flickering lightstone made it seem worse than it really was, and Keorin gulped and left the room.

X x X

It was often said of Zyvus Koriseva that he was mad. No one ever dared to tell him this to his face, knowing what the consequences would be, but just because they never said it didn't mean they didn't think it. What had possessed him to decide to capture a wild Hordika on the island of Fere Nui was anybody's guess, but the first mate of the ship did as he was told, always.

It gave Zyvus immense pleasure to give a false name for trackers to follow. There really was no such being as "Ninian", and he always enjoyed watching his pursuers get frustrated when they could not find him. Stupid fools. It was amazing no one had realized that by now...

This was his second conquest of the day. His first conquest had come in the form of a red reptilian creature one of his crew had identified as a Rahkshi. The creature could not talk, only hissed, but it put up quite the fight when they cornered it, even more than the troublesome Hordika had. Its power also seemed to be fear; an exciting prospect. Zyvus could think of so many beings he could use that power on...once the Rahkshi had been broken in and tamed, of course. That was the purpose of his mission. New minions.

The famed "youngest Toa ever", now older and wiser, but even stronger than before, and one of the creations of Makuta Teridax himself. Surely no more dread pair could be imagined.

Admittedly, Malvado had quite the facial wound, but he hadn't been able to help himself at the time. No one insulted Zyvus Koriseva and got away with it...especially not a slave.

As their boat sailed through the frigid waters, Zyvus reflected on his current position. There was really nothing that could challenge him in Freezeheart, nothing. Yes, there were some renegades that were still loyal to the old king, Pridak, but they were weak and few and far between. They should get a move on with their lives; anyone with half a brain knew Pridak wasn't coming back.

He wondered if the Makuta on watch at Destral had noticed him or not. If she had, then he knew at least one of them would be coming after him, but he doubted she had. She had been standing guard around the area where the Rahkshi was taken, eyes searching. One swift hit to the back of her head with his weapon, and then another, had taken care of her, and she went out like a light. He snorted. What a weak example of the species. Probably one of the few Makuta who slept on a regular basis. And her weakness had cost them one of their precious Rahkshi. Not like they'd miss it though, he understood there were about forty-two types of Rahkshi, and as every Makuta had the ability to make them, they probably wouldn't notice the fact that one Turahk was missing any time soon.

A thin smile crossed his face as he leaned into the wind, listening to the agonized moaning of the prisoners underneath the deck. It served them right for disobeying him.

X x X

Sometimes Icarax wished he had not been created as a Makuta. He often wondered what it would be like to be a Toa (nasty little vermin they were), or perhaps a Rahi. Or even one of the Rahkshi he himself could create.

ANYTHING but a Makuta right now. He hated not being in charge. His position as second-in-command just wasn't good enough. Mostly, it was the fact that he had to listen to all the reports from all the others of his species, and dish out punishments (which he had to be FAIR about, another grievance).

It was this enforced fairness that stopped him from tearing apart the young female Makuta shuffling her feet in front of him, blushing hard and stuttering over her words. He heaved a great sigh and rubbed the back of his head, knowing one heck of a headache was on its way.

"Listen, Silarial," he snapped, "Don't think that just because you're Teridax's daughter that I can't punish you, hmm. I can, and I WILL. There is a Rahkshi missing, an' your dad wants to know where it is. The sooner you tell me, the sooner I'll let you go." For emphasis, he tugged on the shackle around her right wrist. "These're made of solid energy - MY energy, so don't think you're getting away till I SAY you can."

Silarial gave him her worst glare. "I TOLD you, Icarax, I don't know what happened! I was standing guard, and then BAM! Something hit me, and I blacked out!"

"And you're the only Makuta alive who'd get knocked out like that," he said coldly, dark eyes narrowed. He was satisfied to see that she was genuinely afraid right now - he knew that she knew what he could do to her, and none of it was pretty.

Silarial blushed again - she hated being scolded, and it didn't help that he was superior to her - and looked at her feet. She really WAS weak, wasn't she? Icarax was right, no OTHER Makuta would have been knocked out like that. "What'll my punishment be?" she asked in a small voice.

Icarax blinked; he hadn't been expecting THIS. He had been expecting her usual arguments and for her to call him names and perhaps stomp her feet a bit. Anything but submission. For a moment he was at a total loss as what to say, but he quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat.

"Ahem, right, punishment. Hmm...your punishment will be to...clean the main hall, this room, Mutran's lab, and my room WITHOUT your powers." He smirked, watching the shocked look on her face. For a moment, it looked as though she would protest and start a fight, but then her shoulders sagged, and she sighed.

"Alright...I'll start now if you don't mind."

Again with the submission! What was WRONG with her?! Frowning and with his mind whirling, Icarax deactivated the energy shackles and watched Silarial shuffle meekly out of the room, then sat down in front of the large screen and control panel, massaging his forehead.

Yes, sometimes it really SUCKED being him. Oh well, it would be funny to watch Mutran throw her out of his lab when she came in to try to clean it...

He stood up and walked to the door, deciding to hide himself and see how things turned out. He was not expecting to see Silarial standing at the end of the hall, engrossed in the serious business of mending a crack in the stone of the wall. He snorted. Obviously the little klutz had walked right into it and put the crack there.

That was normal; Silarial was very clumsy and often tripped over absolutely everything, up to and including herself. What was not normal was the amount of sweat pouring off of her as she attempted to fix the rock, eyes screwed up, tears beading at their edges. Her palm, pressed against the crack, glowed feebly with the elemental power of Stone, but nothing was happening.

After a moment, Silarial gave up and, panting hard, spun back around. Her green eyes met his red ones, and widened in horror. Then, with a sob, she bolted and ran, tripping over her own feet and falling down hard. Before Icarax could say so much as a word, however, she was up again and tearing off, not even bothering to try to use teleportation to get further away.

He walked over to the crack and frowned at it. It LOOKED normal...felt normal too, he thought as he ran his own hand over it and applied his Stone power. Within seconds, the crack had sealed up completely, and the wall was smooth, as if nothing had ever happened. Icarax frowned again, gazing at where it had been, and then in the direction where Silarial had run off to.

Was she having trouble with her powers, or was she really just tired? He slightly regretted shouting at her now, that and chaining her up, but what was he supposed to do? Let one of their Rahkshi go missing and do nothing about it, not even question the sentry who was on duty when said Rahkshi went missing?

Icarax shook his head and walked off. She said she would start her punishment tasks right now, but after that little display, he seriously doubted she would. Still, it wouldn't hurt to check and see if she really WAS keeping her word.

X x X

Eight years. It had been eight years since Eefera had left, and now he was back. When Aki had heard the news, she had begged her father to allow her to go see him straight off. But Whenua was one of those beings who didn't allow shirking off; he'd told her to finish her work and THEN she could go see her friend. Unfortunately, the work she'd been doing was cataloguing. While she enjoyed doing it and learning things from it, it was a very long job that could take hours to do. By the time she finished, the suns had already set, and most of the other archivists had gone home.

Carefully, Aki slid the last tablet into place, and then walked over to her father and tapped him on the shoulder. Whenua looked at her tiredly, and then gave her a smile. "Finished?" he asked. She nodded. "Very well then. Go see Eefera, but be home soon. And make sure to be careful in the chute system, it's--"

"--a little rusty." Aki finished for him. "I KNOW, Dad." He told her this at LEAST once a day. "I'll be back."

"Aki," her father called after her, and she turned to look at him. He smiled. "Be careful."

With a slight smile of her own, she turned and practically ran out of the Archives. She knew why he always warned her to be careful - he was afraid of losing her. Not like she was in any danger though - she had complete confidence that she could take care of herself no matter what.

The walk to Matau and Eefera's house from the Chute port took her all of ten minutes. Trust the Toa of Air to live near the Chutes just in case he got bored and decided he needed some adventure...Aki had heard several times of his encounter with the force sphere, and she could easily imagine him diving headfirst into the thing.

Eefera was the same way. She swallowed hard as she prepared to knock on the door. Eight years WAS a long time, after all. It was a long time to harbor a liking for someone as well, but it had never gone away. Not that she wanted it to, of course.

She knocked, and a second later it was opened by Matau, covered from head to toe in food. She raised a brow, and he chuckled nervously.

"Um...hi?" Aki said, and Matau greeted her back. "Is Eefera in?" she asked once he was done.

Matau glanced over his shoulder nervously, but after a moment's hesitation, let her in. She felt her heart pick up speed as she carefully walked past him, taking care not to get anything on herself. Not only was Matau covered in food, but so were the walls and floor. Just what in Mata Nui's name had happened here?

A loud laugh and some yells greeted her as she opened the kitchen door, and Aki stopped dead in the doorway. Eight years WAS a long time, and it seemed she wasn't the only one who had never given up on an old crush.

She was fine with Matob, really she was. Sure, sometimes the younger girl's perky attitude got on her nerves, but otherwise, they were friends. It wasn't fair to hate someone just for being happy. But right now, more than anything, she desperately wished Matob had never been born.

Wrestling she could put up with. That wasn't wrestling, though. At least, not in the traditional sense. It was way more intimate. Nothing dirty, but definitely something more than "just friends".

Neither Eefera nor Matob, wrestling animatedly in a sea of thrown food, noticed her standing there, and if Aki had it her way, they wouldn't at all. She turned back to Matau, hating the sympathy on his face, whispered, "I'll come back tomorrow," and bolted out the front door. As she ran, she heard Eefera asking his father who it was, but didn't stay to hear Matau's reply.

When she got back to the Archives, she dashed past her father, still working. Whenua looked up, a frown on his face, but before he could say a word, she was already gone, running towards their small home built near the side entrance of the immense library of Onu-Metru. And once there, she threw herself down on her bed and cried.

A few minutes later, Whenua came in and sat down on her bed next to her. For a moment, he merely watched her, and then carefully lifted his daughter up onto his lap, rocking her back and forth. After a bit, she was able to talk.

"It hurts," she mumbled. "I hate how it hurts."

"The hurt'll go away," he assured her, wiping at her face gently. When she didn't answer, he reached into the pouch hanging from the belt at his waist and pulled out a crumpled picture. It WAS crumpled, and one of the edges was torn, but the subject was still viewable. He handed it to Aki, and she took it, staring at it silently.

"When they told me your mother had died, I thought I'd never smile again," he told her. "I even contemplated killing myself. That's how sad and upset I was. But then they told me that even though she was gone, our little girl had survived. Any thoughts of sadness I had went away immediately when they placed you in my arms, Aki. I was happy, happier than I'd ever been in my life, just to see you. You still make me that happy, but I hate it when you're sad like this. It's something no parent ever wants to go through."

"Why'd she have to die?" Aki mumbled. "Everyone else has a mom. Why'd mine have to die?"

"Eefera has a mother, but he hasn't seen her in eleven years," Whenua reminded her. "Remember, she brought him here and told Matau she would never be coming back. So he's sort of in the same boat that you're in." He smiled. "He may not be the one who's going to love you more than anyone else, Aki, but someday you WILL meet the one who will."

"How will I know when I've met him?" she asked skeptically.

Her father smiled. "You'll just know. Trust me on that."

She still looked skeptical, but nodded. Her dad was right. There was no point in crying over Eefera if he wasn't the one for her. It still hurt worse than anything she'd ever experienced, but from then on she was going to put all her energy into getting over it.

Yes...not being in love with someone who would never return her feelings would be a nice change.

X x X

"_Won't close my eyes   
And hide the truth inside   
If I don't make it   
Someone else will   
Stand my ground."  
--Within Temptation, "Stand My Ground"_

X x X

**AN: I can kinda sympathize with Aki: my stepmom and I have butted heads since I was about six, and since my real mom is no longer among the living, I don't really have anywhere to run to. Kinda sucks, I can tell you. And perhaps "butting heads" is putting it lightly. Ah well. I graduate in two months, and then I'm off to college in August, so I'm almost outta here.**

**Unfortunately, finals are coming up. Nearly all my teachers are giving them about a month before school actually ends (ftw!), so I'm going to have to start studying again soon. I'll try to get as much as I can done till then, though.**

**Review, please!**


	4. All A Sham

**OK. I just wanted to apologize for being so late and coming up with such a bad excuse for a chapter, but this fic is presenting itself in a weird way to me. I'm just rolling with it, but again, I'm sorry for the weirdness. Part of the lateness is due to the fact that my cousins and I are all Nintendo freaks, and I've been reconnecting with my childhood by playing the old Mario games and rediscovering my love for the seven Koopalings in **_**Super Mario World**_** XD Ludwig owns!**

**Disclaimer: Anyone you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me. Siahta and Sayla belong to **_**Sylla Shadowfrost**_**. Shay Moonsilk belongs to **_**Shay Moonsilk**_**. Nicole belongs to **_**Arya-Metru**_**. Everyone else is property of LEGO Enterprises. "Stand My Ground" belongs to Within Temptation.**

**Summary: Eighteen years after the Shadow Wars, Matob, Vakama's daughter, is finally ready to accept the throne which her father denied after the death of Pridak. But no one ever said it would be easy to take the throne. A tournament for the crown is set up. The catch? Honor makes no appearance in Freezeheart's Regent Council, and in order to make sure Matob and her friends don't win, a series of some of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen is pitted against them. At the same time, runaway slave Rowan battles desperately for his people's freedom, risking all to prove that his parentage is the least of everyone's worries about him. Despite his initial shortcomings, he offers Matob his help, and together, along with Eefera, Aki, Jing, and Nicole, they are an almost unbeatable force. **_**I just know there's no escape now, once it sets its eyes on you. But I won't run; I have to stare it in the eye.**_** "Destiny is not who you are...it is who you can become."**

**A Path Well Traveled  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_It's all around  
Getting stronger, coming closer   
Into my world..."  
--Within Temptation, "Stand My Ground"_

X x X

To the consternation of many the next day, it was raining heavily by the time the majority of the population awoke. Well, the people of Onu-, Ko-, and Ga-Metru weren't so bothered by it (especially not Onu-Metru, since they were underground), but Ta-, Le-, and Po-Metru residents were all rather disgruntled. More than one Matoran in Po-Metru left for work, grumbling and running as fast as they could to get to shelter before they got too soaked.

Unfortunately, there were some in Po-Metru who were afraid of water in most of its forms. Even more unfortunately, one of these particular beings had an appointment to keep. She was rather reluctant to do so because of the rain.

"Nicole, tell your father he's crazy."

"I am NOT crazy, Nicole, don't lie just to make her feel good!"

"I'm not lying, Akilini-head!"

Nicole giggled. "You're both equally neurotic."

Her parents stared at her for a minute, and then went off again, obviously giving her up as a lost cause.

"I can't go out there! I'll get wet!"

"Yeah, you might melt," Onewa Metru muttered, wincing as a metal utensil hit him in the side of the head. His mate glared at him murderously, light glinting rather ominously off the long curved blade on the end of her long tail.

"Don't make me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the Stone Toa got up from the table and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna go see Vakama now. When it stops raining, come join us, eh Natay?"

"IF and WHEN it stops raining," Natay Hordika cast a glance out of the window to her left. "Vakama said he wanted to talk to you about something, right?"

"Yup." Onewa replied as Nicole began to wash the plates. "Didn't say what it was in that note of his, but whatever it is, it sounds fairly big. Said to bring Nicole along too, but for th' life of me I can't imagine why."

"You'll find out when he tells you, Akilini-head."

"Watch who you're calling 'Akilini-head', you mangy cat!"

"Mangy?! I'll have you know that I wash myself every day, moron!"

"Yeah." Onewa snorted. "By LICKING yourself. Natay, that's really disgusting. Why don't you just take a bath like NORMAL people do?"

"Because," Natay huffed, "the las' time I did, I was set upon by several small children an' nearly drowned."

Onewa rolled his eyes. "The water was like two kios deep. Hardly enough to drown in. And what do you expect, swimming in the lake? Nicole and the others were BOUND to wanna join in."

"Still," the Hordika said darkly, "it was a mentally scarrin' experience. And don't you roll your eyes!" she snapped at her mate when he made to do so again. "If it had been YOU, you would have felt the same way!"

"I'm sure." Onewa took one last gulp of water and gave her a smile. "We'll see you in a bit, right?"

"Yeah." She too smiled, and he allowed himself a surge of satisfaction and he and Nicole began to leave. "Behave yourself."

"I'll be OK, Mom," Nicole looked slightly exasperated.

"I wasn't talking to you," her mother calmly took another bite of her food, pointedly ignoring her mate's glare.

"Come on, Nicole," he muttered, dragging her out the door as Natay sniggered quietly.

X x X

By the time Icarax caught up with Silarial, she was already on her hands and knees on the floor of Mutran's lab, scrubbing furiously as the mad scientist Makuta called instructions to her from his perch on the nearest table. The second-in-command of the Brotherhood shook his head at the sight. And here he had been expecting Mutran to just throw her out on her rear end...

"Scrub harder!" Mutran snapped, and Silarial redoubled her efforts. "Obviously if you're being punished, you deserve it. And stop making so much noise, I've got work to do!" There was a loud explosion from across the lab at this, further accentuating his words.

"S-sorry..." Silarial stammered, scrubbing as hard as she could at the acid stain on the floor. What Mutran was doing with this kind of acid, she had no idea, and wasn't sure she wanted to know. She gave a small gasp as her bare hand came into contact with it, burning a hole into her palm. Dropping the rag and hugging her hand to her chest, she squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to yell. That HURT, Karzahni blast it all! And that was another problem there; how was she going to regenerate that? Questions would be asked if someone saw her walking around with a big hole in her hand...

"What are you doing here, Icarax?" Mutran asked suspiciously just then, and she froze, her body seizing up completely, eyes almost comically wide.

The scientist had thrown himself over the thing he had been working on, glaring at Icarax suspiciously as the other Makuta strolled in. If that Karzahni-spawn (actually, when he thought about it, that WAS sort of legitimate, as Icarax was the Makuta of Karzahni) thought he was going to steal HIS ideas and get credit for them, then he was sorely mistaken!

For his part, Icarax rolled his eyes. "I'm not interested in your slimy experiments," he said testily, "so get off that thing before you smother it. Or before it bites you, it'll get rabies." Ignoring Mutran's outraged exclamations, he reached down and grabbed Silarial by the arm, dragging her upward. He noticed that she was clutching one hand to herself rather protectively and frowned. There was a hole in her palm. Why hadn't she fixed it yet? It looked rather recent (still smoking from the acid that had caused it), but even still, she should have fixed it immediately upon receiving it.

"What are you doing? She's not done yet! HEY! You were the one who assigned her this work, so let her finish it already!" Mutran broke off his tirade to begin a new one as Icarax began to drag the still-frozen-up younger Makuta out of the lab by the arm.

"I need to talk to her." was the answer, and before he could say another word, the door to his lab has slammed, and he was alone with his experiments again. Grumbling at the acid stain on the floor, he began work again on his latest project.

X x X

"Ouch!" Silarial gave a yelp as she was rather unceremoniously slammed into the wall and kept there. She glanced up fearfully. Compared to her, he was enormous, a giant. She was small for a Makuta, she had to admit that, but still...it was disconcerting how tall he seemed right now.

Icarax was silent for a moment, staring down at her through narrowed green eyes and then spoke. "What is the matter with you?"

"Come again?" She blinked. She hadn't been expecting that, of all things.

He frowned. "You know what I'm talking about. Don't try to play dumb, no matter how good you are at it," he snapped, and she flinched. "I'm talking about that little display yesterday. Why couldn't you fix the stone after you'd broken it?"

She stiffened up in his grasp, then tried to wriggle away, and he tightened his grip on her arms, giving her another light slam into the wall. Not to hurt her or anything, but he was going to let her know that until he was satisfied with her answer, she was going NOWHERE.

"Why do you care?" she muttered, looking to the side. "It doesn't matter, I'm not allowed on active duty anyway, so why should you care if I can fix some stupid stone or not?"

"It matters," he said icily, "because you are a Makuta, and we are the greatest race of beings on this planet. Even you, weak as you are, should be able to fix a small crack."

Looking down at her, her heaving chest, flushed cheeks, and scared eyes that refused to look back at him, infuriated him. He had no idea way the angry emotion suddenly swept over him like that, but it did. He had always been amused by her, but now he was angry, very angry. Why the Karzahni wouldn't she just listen to him and do as she was told?

He dug the claws on the ends of his fingers into her arms, hearing her gasp in pain, and slammed her into the wall again. "Answer me!" he snapped.

"...that hurts." she whispered, and he blinked.

"You're like that Fire Toa..." she continued, still not looking at him. Her voice was dull. "Cruel. Always looking for a reason to fight someone. Especially if they're smaller or weaker than you yourself are."

He knew who she was talking about. Shinoda Tora, the former Toa of Fire of an island called Tora Nui. He remembered the Makuta who had been put in charge of guarding that island, although for the life of him he could not recall that Makuta's name. Whatever. He had died along with all the others who had chosen to side with Miserix when Teridax took over the organization. He hadn't been the one to kill him; that was Gorast who'd had that honor.

Unlike the one he had pinned between himself and the wall, Gorast was a warrior, and an exceptional one at that. She was vicious, dedicated, and loved to kill any who got in her way. Her sole flaw in his eyes was that she was a tad on the...ugly side, but anyone who mentioned that to her was attacked an instant later. Silarial was different from Gorast in every possible way. As Makuta go, she was not "pretty", but neither did she have the savage appearance Gorast favored. She was naive, gentler than a Makuta was supposed to be, and the weakest of them all.

And strangest of all, she despised Gorast beyond all belief.

"Toa?" he asked, not loosening his grip. "Toa? You dare say I remind you of a TOA? Why not give up our dreams of conquest and settle into quiet lives as very tall Turaga?"

She gave a quiet whimper as his eyes flamed. "You remember him, the cruel one that Vanisher told us about..." she whispered. "You're just like him. Cruel. You care about no one but yourself."

"I don't have to care about anyone else," he snapped. "All that I care about, yes, is myself and my goals. Everything else is nothing more than useless trash."

He blinked at the tears that suddenly clouded her eyes and relaxed his grip on her arms. As soon as he did, she had lunged at him, shoving her elbow into his gut as hard as she could. Despite being weaker than he, she was still stronger than the average creature, and her attacking him like that was completely unexpected. He stumbled back, clutching where she had hit him with one hand, and Silarial was off like a shot, rocketing away back into Mutran's lab and slamming the door. He heard the rattling and clicks of the many locks being utilized and cursed angrily. Even Teridax had a hard time getting into Mutran's lab when it was locked like that, and he had no desire to waste so much energy.

Pressing one ear to the thick stone door, he faintly heard the mad scientist telling Silarial to get back to work and her even fainter, meek reply. Angrily, Icarax smote the sign on the door with one fist, denting it.

_Mutran's Lab_, it read. _Come in here and I'll kill you._

He snorted. Who would WANT to go in there? Certainly not him. Especially not with that little Karzahni-spawn in there. However, that did not mean he was going to give up interrogating her as to why her powers were waning. He fully intended to figure that out, whether Silarial approved or not. Even if Teridax didn't approve (which he knew he did), he was still going to know.

Still muttering badtemperedly under his breath, Icarax fixed the dent in his armor that Silarial had made and stalked off to the training area. He felt like maiming something.

X x X

Oh, how she hated Mutran's laboratory. It smelled of decay and other unmentionable things. But Silarial was still going to do her job. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Mutran continued his work, making adjustments all over the thing. His hands slid over it almost gently, shaping it with each touch. Already it was beginning to take shape.

She gasped as she recognized what it was. Mutran had an unfortunate tendency to experiment with living creatures, and this was no exception. What sat dormant on his lab table was a Tarakava that appeared to have no less than three heads.

She had heard of the other Tarakava that had been experimented with, the two-headed one. If she was correct in her knowledge, then it had been Spiriah who had created that one, but it seemed Mutran had taken a leaf out of the Zakaz Makuta's book. She shuddered. She could not imagine having three heads, or even just two. How confusing that must be! What if one head disagreed with the others? What did they do then? Given the preprogrammed nature of the Tarakava in general, she did not think that they simply talked it out. No, she was fairly sure it would end up being some sort of battle. Perhaps the body would begin to attack itself.

Silarial watched, transfixed, as an arc of electricity shot out of Mutran's hands and into the heart of the three-headed Tarakava. Sparks shot out of it in all directions, and its six eyes flickered as it awoke and began to roar.

Mutran stepped back, electricity still crackling at his fingers. His eyes were filled with a triumphant glow as the thing continued to roar. "Yes, I hear you!" he said gleefully as the thing's six eyes turned on him. "You want to know what you are doing here!"

Actually, the three heads were not asking - they were demanding to know, and they were also demanding to know just who had decided to create them to be like this. Silarial privately agreed with their anger.

"_ONE BODY IS NOT ENOUGH!"_ one head shouted, saliva dripping from its jaws.

"_WE WANT THREE BODIES!"_ the middle head screeched.

"_GIVE US TWO MORE BODIES!"_ the right head roared, and the right arm shot out towards the mad scientist.

Before it could come within a respectable distance, the lightning in Mutran's hands lashed out, and the beast's three heads screamed in unison as they were electrocuted. It dropped off of the lab table and onto the floor, where it lay, gasping for breath and steam rising off of its form.

"SILENCE!" Mutran shouted, and the three heads glared at him hatefully, but were silent as ordered. "Now," he continued, smiling, "you are angry over having three heads. I understand this. However, you have no choice in the matter. This is how I created you, and this is how you shall stay until the day you die. If you argue or object, I will kill you. Is that understood?"

The heads hissed angry agreement, their eyes filled with loathing. And what choice did they have, Silarial wondered. Stay in this hideous body, or die. She was not so certain she wouldn't have chosen death.

"What are you looking at?" Mutran snarled, whirling on her, and she jumped, eyes wide.

"N-nothing!" She hurriedly bent her head and resumed scrubbing the floor as hard and fast as she could.

"Better be nothing," Mutran snapped. "You're not here to gawk, you're here to work. That's all weak trash like you is good for, working. You'll never live up to Teridax's name. You're so weak it's a wonder he doesn't just kill you and make another, STRONGER Makuta out of what's left!"

And that, she thought, summed things up quite nicely.

Clenching her injured hand and gritting her jaws against the pain as the cleaning mixture she was using aggravated it, she continued to clean the floor of the laboratory. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the form of what was once her father's greatest lieutenant, suspended from the wall by chains, but did not dare to glance up again. She had no wish to see another creature changed past what it was meant to be.

X x X

It would be good to be home after so long. It had been over four months since Zyvus Koriseva had left home, and soon he would be returning. But first, there was unfinished business to take care of.

Diplomatic business? Only fools believed in that kind of garbage. The council could say what they liked, but the country flourished on its abundant slave trade and vicious gladiator tournaments, and he intended to keep it that way. He had gotten the idea from a certain other island, where large beings served tall, elegant ones and entertained them as gladiators and other various things.

The two beneath the deck of the ship were not enough to compensate for the loss of the seven slaves that last winter had been cruel enough to bring upon him. A hypnotizing Hordika and a skinny reptile? Most certainly not enough. He needed more.

Another species he had always been interested in was the Vortixx. The Vortixx were a strange society, with the females ruling and the males subservient. It was completely backward, and made him itch to set out for that strange island and set things straight. Males should not answer to females. One of his favorite slaves back home was testament to this. She was strong, but he was stronger.

His first mate had reported seeing another small island close by, and he had replied by telling him to steer towards it. Perhaps he could find other slaves there. Good, strong ones. Big ones.

How delighted was he to see a fully grown Vortixx upon scouting it out.

This Vortixx was tall, however. Much taller than any other specimen he'd seen or heard of. By his estimate, it was around eight feet tall. An excellent specimen, indeed. It would make a fine servant as well.

He had to duck as he saw the other, a small female of a different breed he knew to be called Toa. Although, she did not seem to be a TRUE Toa, as there was a vaguely sinister aura about her that most Toa did not have.

Subduing the little girl would be easy. Subduing the Vortixx would be harder.

He smiled as he recognized the Vortixx. Mano of Xia, another former captain in the ranks of the Dark Hunters. Malvado would have some company besides the Rahkshi, after all.

X x X

Three of his men were dead, and another was seriously wounded. Curse everything to the sky, but even with his hands so battered, Mano was still as strong as he had been eighteen years ago. The need to protect the small female that had been realized as his daughter made him even stronger, and he was able to distract them long enough for her to make an escape, but not before plunging what seemed to be an old-fashioned throwing star in the throat of one of his men.

But in the end, the cursed Vortixx was subdued. Beaten. Broken. Barely even conscious.

Zyvus Koriseva was cruel in many ways, and this was one of them. Obviously this island had been turned into a farm by Mano and his family. The daughter had seen him, and she could not be allowed to tell of it. The horror on the Vortixx's face was immensely satisfying as the next few words were spoken.

"Burn it." he told his first mate and second-in-command, a wiry creature named Amoto. "Burn it to the ground."

"Yes, sir." Amoto replied, and repeated the order.

The island lit up the sky beautifully as they sailed away from it, Mano's screams of agony echoing through the ocean air.

"It will be good to get home." Zyvus remarked as the Vortixx was wrestled down into the bowels of the ship with the other two prisoners.

Behind him, Amoto gave a short bow. "It will, sir. It had been a long time since we saw it."

Zyvus grunted, shifting his weight to his other leg. "I wonder if those idiots of the council have managed to keep things smooth while I was away."

"They are devoted to keeping the country intact, sir." Amoto said. "They may not wish for you to be king just yet, but they still want the country to stay strong."

"Hn." Zyvus grunted. "They're too set in the old ways. Some of them actually believe that Pridak is alive, can you imagine? Pridak is dead, of that I am certain."

Amoto shook his head. There was no way that the old king was still alive out there. And even if he was, he wouldn't be coming back to reclaim his kingdom. If by some chance he did, then Zyvus Koriseva would kill him. No questions asked. Sometimes, the life of a ruler was even worse than that of a commoner.

"Preparations for this year's event are progressing nicely." he said carefully, choosing to change the subject. "The contestants are some of the best I have ever seen. It shall be interesting to see how it progresses."

"Perhaps." Zyvus's gaze was locked on the distant northern horizon, where his home was. Already he could feel the ice against his face, and the crunch of the snow under his feet. "And those rebels will have no choice but to enter."

"How can we be certain of that, sir?" Amoto asked, furrowing his brow. "Reha is no fool. What if she deduces what you are planning?"

His master turned dark blue eyes upon him, and he felt a chill run through him. "She will come. The possible chance to kill me will be too tempting for her to resist." A smirk crossed his face. "She and those pitiful children that try to be heroes will see that I am no pushover. I am the true heir to the throne, and I WILL have it. No one shall stand in my way."

"Yes, sir." Amoto bowed his head, not meeting his master's eyes. "What would you have me do with them once Reha is...taken care of?"

"Why should I care?" Zyvus shrugged. "Torture them. Keep them for your own amusement. Without Reha, they are helpless. They will be easy game once she is out of the way."

Again, Amoto looked troubled. "But you know what they say about Rowan, sir. About who his father was?"

"His father was killed in a dishonorable way." the taller creature said. "He was careless. Stupid. He allowed his pride to get in the way. Rowan is just like him in that sense. It is a shame he has none of his father's lust for blood. Now that is one I would like to see in the event this year..." He was silent for a moment. "But no matter. We shall get to see Rowan perform, will we not?" The smirk reappeared. "He was an excellent slave. I had expected him to escape, however, and it is much more...satisfying this way."

"Sir?" Amoto now looked more confused than ever, but this time, his master offered no explanation. He contented himself with another bow. "With your permission, sir, I will go oversee the navigators."

"Go." That was all the permission Amoto needed, and in a trice, he was gone.

Zyvus Koriseva snorted once his lieutenant was gone, and continued to gaze out over the waters. Freezeheart was waiting for him, and he wanted to see it again. The sooner he was home, the sooner he was to being officially crowned Northern King, and not just Regent.

Those rebels were few and far between. They were of no consequence to him. They did not matter in the grand scheme of things.

There was nothing out there that could possibly stand in his way anymore. Pridak was dead and gone, of that he was certain. The loyalists needed to accept that and move on. The sooner they did, the sooner life would improve for them.

He smiled and leaned into the wind as he heard the deck creak beneath his feet. It really had been a rather interesting and beneficial trip.

X x X

Unaware that he had just been discussed, Rowan of Freezeheart knocked almost timidly upon the door of his mentor and guardian. She responded with a grunt that he knew to mean that he could come in, and he did so, closing the door behind him with a click.

Reha did not look up from the documents he and Keorin had stolen the previous day, but motioned for him to sit down, which he did immediately. He waited patiently for her to finish, and when she did, he could see that she was very serious.

"I've been seeing again."

He knew what she meant. "The premonitions again?"

She nodded, violet eyes unblinking. "Several of them. I have never seen this much at one time."

He peered at her mask, which was glowing slightly. The Kanohi Tarena was indeed a useful tool, but sometimes he wished that she had never acquired the Great Mask of Foresight. The ability to see the future, even if it was just in glimpses as Reha did, unnerved him greatly. "So...what'd you see?"

"A boat." she told him, closing her eyes and remembering. "And on it, Toa, like us. Several different elements, although it is impossible to deduce what they might be. One, however, was a Toa of Water, as I saw her use the water in the ocean to defeat..."

"To defeat...?"

"...something."

Rowan sighed. He hated when she got cryptic like this, and perhaps Reha noticed, for she opened one eye and gave him a slight smile. "I need more time to analyze what I saw." she said. "The future is not to be trifled with, Rowan. I foresaw the deaths of each and every one of my teammates, and it came to pass, although at the time I had dismissed my vision as merely a bad dream. I have never made that mistake again."

"But who CARES if some Toa come here?" he asked. "That last one left after, what, two days? I don't care about 'em unless they DO something about this place!"

"Hush." Reha commanded, and the young Fire Toa fell silent. "I told you, the Water Toa used her powers to defeat something in the ocean. In the ocean around THIS region, in fact. They will come to help us."

"But when?"

She sighed. "Who can tell? The future is never certain, Rowan, and I don't pretend to understand it." Upon hearing his frustrated sigh, she gave another smile and reached down to the side of her chair. The thing that had been laying in a doze down there woke suddenly and stretched, yawning and showing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

"Awake, Zayu," she murmured, and the Energy Hound yawned again, louder this time, nuzzling against her hand, before getting up and looking straight at Rowan.

"There is nothing for you to fear." she continued, not looking at Rowan any longer. Her faithful hound was more than enough to command her attention for now. "I promised your mother that I would not let anything happen to you, and I will keep that promise." She closed her eyes and leaned back into her chair. "Now, it is your turn to explain something to me. What on this planet possessed you and Keorin to sneak into Koriseva's palace and steal these?"

"We didn't STEAL them," Rowan muttered. "We copied existing ones, so no one knows anything was missing. Keorin made sure to put everything back where it was."

"Hn." Reha grunted. "That's still stealing, as you didn't have permission to look at it. But I'm not complaining. You read them, correct? Good boy. So you know what Koriseva must be planning to do."

"Nnoooo?" Rowan tried, looking at her hopefully. She sighed.

"This tournament is a sham, Rowan. He wants to see who is loyal to him, and who is still loyal to Pridak. You saw it right here, the leader of the winning team gets to have a one-on-one with Koriseva, right there in the ring." Her eyes were sparkling with a fanatical light. "If we can win this thing, I can fight Koriseva and kill him."

There was an immediate protest to this. "Lady Rave, you're always telling ME not to do stupid things, and now look at you! This is the STUPIDEST idea I ever heard!" When she looked at him, offended, he went on. "Koriseva WANTS us to participate! What better way to get rid us, the REBELS, than to set up something like this? If we're not killed getting to the top, then he'll surely kill us when we do!"

"Rowan--" she began, but he cut her off.

"No! Don't you get it? Koriseva doesn't play fair! You saw what happened at last year's tournament. It was...spirits, I'll never forget it..." He shook his head, covering his eyes and taking a deep breath. "That guy was just...he was just so..."

"They still haven't gotten his blood off the floor of the ring, or so I have heard," she said almost conversationally, and Rowan shuddered. "I know the dangers, Rowan. But any chance to kill him I must take. My teammates died trying to take down a madman, and they failed because I wasn't there to help them."

He knew all about this. The survivor's guilt that never really went away, no matter how much she would sometimes insist it had. "That wasn't your fault."

"That doesn't matter." Reha told him. "The fact of the matter is that this is my chance, and I'm going to take it. I'm not forcing you into this, Rowan, nor am I forcing Keorin or Tazer, or even Zayu." She reached down and touched her Energy Hound's head again, and he leaned into her hand, growling contentedly. "If I must, I'll do this alone. However, I am asking you to help me."

Her eyes bored straight into his red ones, and he found himself smiling.

"I hate Koriseva just as much as you do...probably more, considering that I was his personal slave." He touched the metal ring on his upper right arm, the symbol that all slaves wore. It annoyed him to know that no matter how hard he or anyone else had tried, it just would not come off. No amount of fire or electricity or energy blasts would even scratch it, much less break it away from his arm. Keorin's was the same way.

"And I do owe you...a lot. So you can count me in."

Before she could begin to answer, he held up a hand. "But in exchange, I want to know everything about your premonition. And I mean everything."

Reha gave him a smile. "Thank you. And deal."

By the end of her tale, he could almost believe that perhaps this time would be the one that they actually succeeded.

X x X

"_I can feel  
That it's time for me to face it  
Can I take it?"  
--Within Temptation, "Stand My Ground"_

X x X

**AN: OK. So it's been a while. But oh what the hey, I've been busy. Boohoo.**

**Anyway. Some more APWT for you all. This chapter took me long enough, and to put more would ruin it, so here it is. And some plot details / points are introduced! I really wanna get the actual tournament started, but whatever, it'll have to wait, I suppose XD**

**Review, please!**


	5. Figure It Out

OK

_**MY MUSE HAS RETURNED!**_

**That it seriously has. I've been rather uninspired when it comes to both writing and drawing lately, and when the urge to write this chapter struck, I almost died of happiness. But I lived, and wrote a good...whoa, this thing say it's 24 pages long. That much? Cool.**

**Disclaimer: Anyone you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me. Siahta and Sayla belong to **_**Sylla Shadowfrost**_**. Shay Moonsilk belongs to **_**Shay Moonsilk**_**. Nicole belongs to **_**Arya-Metru**_**. Everyone else is property of LEGO Enterprises. "Stand My Ground" belongs to Within Temptation.**

**Summary: Eighteen years after the Shadow Wars, Matob, Vakama's daughter, is finally ready to accept the throne which her father denied after the death of Pridak. But no one ever said it would be easy to take the throne. A tournament for the crown is set up. The catch? Honor makes no appearance in Freezeheart's Regent Council, and in order to make sure Matob and her friends don't win, a series of some of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen is pitted against them. At the same time, runaway slave Rowan battles desperately for his people's freedom, risking all to prove that his parentage is the least of everyone's worries about him. Despite his initial shortcomings, he offers Matob his help, and together, along with Eefera, Aki, Jing, and Nicole, they are an almost unbeatable force. **_**I just know there's no escape now, once it sets its eyes on you. But I won't run; I have to stare it in the eye.**_** "Destiny is not who you are...it is who you can become."**

**A Path Well Traveled  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_Though this might just be the ending  
Of the life I held so dear..."_

X x X

Matau could swear life on the road - er, sea was easier. For one thing, his son had done his best to be a model Toa. For another, he had woken up on time each morning for their mission. At the current point in time, the Toa Metru of Air was attempting to pick the lock to his son's room in their home so he could wake him up to go meet with Vakama. Not even mentions of Matob could make the young Storm Toa budge (and that usually did the trick).

Maybe he really WAS just tired, but all the same, Matau had this thing about being late. He was the only one allowed to be late. Other people were not, and Eefera qualified as "other people". Darned if he'd let his son follow in his own bad habits.

"Eefera!" He banged on the door and was rewarded with a sleepy-sounding "Nnnnngh..."

The Toa of Air rolled his eyes. Typical kid, sleeping past the wake up time.

"Wake up, we're gonna be quick-late!" he snapped, and Eefera groaned again.

"But I'm tired...can't we go later?"

His father scowled through the door. "No. Get UP, Eefera Metru!"

"Nnnnnh!" The Storm Toa let out a groan and buried himself under his covers.

Matau's scowl morphed to a full time glare as the lock finally gave way and the door opened. "I didn't wanna do this, but you leave me no other way-choice!"

"WAAAAAAAUGH!" Covers and all, Eefera was blown straight out of his bed, hitting the wall with a loud THUMP that shook the house rather ominously, and then, still shocked, fell to the floor with another THUMP. His father laughed uproariously, slapping his knee as he picked himself up off the floor, glaring murderously.

"Dad, what the HECK!" he shouted, a new wind rustling the discarded sheets.

Matau snickered, not fazed in the least. "Hey now, I warned you, brat, but you didn't listen! Bet you're awake now, eh?"

Eefera rolled his eyes. At least when he still lived with his mother, she hadn't woken him up by blowing him right out of bed with a gale-force gust of wind. Instead, she'd merely pick him up from where he slept on their small boat and dump him into the water. He wasn't entirely sure which method he preferred. Now that he thought about it, he'd really rather prefer it if NEITHER happened.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm awake," he grumbled. "K, so what didja want, anyway? First day I get to sleep in, and you come wakin' me up..."

"Stop whining, do you THINK I wanna be up this early?" Matau countered. "We still have stuff to do, and Vakama says he needs us there for some meeting today, so we have to get up early. Cruel but true. Blame the firespitter, not me."

"Hmph, whatever. Alright, now that I'm up, we might as well get going. So, who else is gonna be there?"

Matau thought for a moment. "Mmmm...Onewa and Nicole, Whenua and Aki, Nuju and that lazy dork of a son of his, and, of course, Vakama and Matob. And I think Nokama might be there too, but I'm not so sure..."

As expected, his son brightened up at the mention of Matob. "Sweet! Let's get going, old man - last one there's a Ghekula!"

"What a nice offspring I have," Matau said sarcastically as his son dragged him out of the room.

X x X

"They're late." Nuju snapped at Vakama, who sighed. Next to the Ice Toa, Jing had dropped off to sleep again, sitting backwards in his chair and slumping over it, head resting on his arms. Off to the side, Aki fiddled with the pen she carried with her everywhere and Whenua stared off into space, obviously wishing he were back in the Archives, working.

Nicole, meanwhile, was busy chewing on the fried Husi her father had bought from one of the various restaurants in Ta-Metru, too engrossed in the task of devouring the tough meat to bother with anything else. Her father merely looked bored and annoyed, echoing Nuju's complaint every few minutes.

"Look," Vakama finally said, "it's not MY fault if Matau's late, alright? He's ALWAYS late, this should come as no surprise to you."

"I would have hoped," Nuju said, "that his recent excursions might have purged him of the habit."

"Obviously it didn't." Vakama said. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know. Beat him when he gets here?"

The Fire Toa had to smile at that. "Just don't hurt him TOO badly, we need him."

"I just want to get out of this heat," Nuju grunted. "Why you chose Ta-Metru of all places to meet is beyond me."

Vakama gave him a dull stare. "I kind of live here, Nuju. It seemed like the best place at the time. And anyway, Jing doesn't seem to mind; see, he's just gone to sleep."

Nuju rolled his eyes. "When is he NOT asleep? That's his defense mechanism for everything - when in doubt, go to sleep. Stomachache? Go to sleep. Getting chastised by Siahta or myself? Go to sleep and let us yell ourselves hoarse. Being harassed by his sister? Go to sleep...although that doesn't work on her that much; she just keeps harassing him until he has no choice but to awaken."

The Fire Toa laughed. "I've got the opposite problem. Sometimes it's all Nokama and I can do to keep Matob from bringing down the house."

His daughter stuck her tongue out, and he laughed again. She had been acting rather odd in the last few hours, he had noticed. Actually, since yesterday, now that he thought about it. She was almost always in a perpetual state of happiness, but yesterday the happiness had intensified. That was normal; one of her best friends was coming home after eight years of absence. This morning, though, she was quiet. In fact, she hadn't spoken a word since they arrived at the designated meeting spot. Nerves, maybe?

Whatever her problem was, though, it would have to wait, because at the current point in time he had spotted his elusive green teammate and his son, jogging into view. Both were panting and looked as though they'd just run a long way.

Nuju gave them a blood chilling glare as they ran up, and Matau and Eefera both looked slightly afraid. "You're LATE." the Ice Toa snapped. "As usual." Onewa added.

Whenua snorted and went to go shake Matau's hand. "Eh, they're probably tired, guys. Leave 'em alone. So, airhead, how ya been?"

"That depends on if you call looking this good being great." Matau answered with a grin, and Whenua gave a laugh. "You haven't changed a bit, I see. Hey there, Eefera, you've gotten pretty big since the last time I saw you!"

Eefera laughed. "Eight years! I've grown more than a foot since then."

Vakama interfered before anything else could be said. "Alright, enough tearful reunions. I called you all here for a reason, you know."

"Which had better be good," Matau replied. "I'm losing sleep over this."

His leader glared at him, and he grinned. It was good to be back, that was for sure. He had missed ribbing at his teammates like this. Of course, he hadn't done it as much as he used to before Eefera's mother left, but it still felt good to get back into his old habits. It ashamed him that even after almost seventeen years he still hadn't managed to fully let Tazuna go, but he knew he would someday. He just wasn't sure WHEN that would be.

That was the problem with living so long. You had a lot of time to regret certain things.

"Right." Vakama cleared his throat, suddenly looking very authoritative and placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Nuju, you, Onewa, Whenua, and Matau already know about this, but you kids don't. You remember what we told you about the war right before you were all born?"

Nods from all five kids, including Jing, who had just received a jab in the side from his father, thus waking him up.

"Good. Then you'll know about Pridak, my mentor. He trained me to be his successor to his throne, which obviously didn't happen. But, I made him a promise when he died - that I would train someone else in my stead." He looked down at his daughter now, and she stared right back. "Matob, that someone is you. You were always complaining about the training I put you through...well, now you know why I did."

She blinked, looking fairly shocked. "Me? A ruler?"

He nodded. "Yes. I trained you to be a ruler, and that's what you'll be soon."

"But..." She glanced to the side, at Aki, who had just frozen. "...me? Seriously? Ruling a KINGDOM?"

Her father nodded. "This is...a bit much, I know, Matob. But trust me when I say that I think you can do this."

She faltered again, clearly at a loss as how to take this new information. If there was one thing she had inherited from him, it was the inability to handle shocking information. When Nokama had told him she was pregnant, he had nearly passed out, he remembered.

Surprisingly enough, it was Aki who spoke up next. "For the love of Mata Nui, Matob," the dark girl snapped, "stop looking so shocked and say what you're gonna do already. That dumbfounded look's really getting on my nerves."

This seemed to snap Matob back into reality, and she gave a grin. "Right! Um, let's see...well, first we have to, like, go there, right? I don't think I can rule a place I've never seen..."

Onewa threw his head back and laughed. "Real smart kid you got there, Vak," he said, and looked at his own offspring, who by now was staring at the younger Toa with her mouth wide open. He took the liberty of shutting it and picking her food up off the floor and dusting it off, handing it back to her before speaking again. "She'll make a great Queen with that logic, she will."

"Uh...I can't tell if you're being nice or sarcastic, but yes!" Matob threw her arms out and laughed happily. "I'm gonna be a QUEEN!" But she faltered again as she looked at Eefera, who had thus far been quiet. And suddenly, Vakama was quite sure he knew what had been bothering her recently.

He smiled and patted her on the head. "Part of why I called this meeting is to ask for a team to help you, Matob." he said. "And who better to do it than your best friends? I had MY best friends with me during all of my adventures, and you should too."

Before she could reply, he continued. "That's not to say you'll be alone, though. I and Matau will be going with you, and any of these other Metru clowns of mine if they wish."

Whenua looked guilty. "Don't see how I could," he said. "Without me, the Archivists are lost."

Aki looked faintly amused. "It's true. They won't do a thing unless he approves of it."

"Alright, what about you, Onewa?"

The Stone Toa snorted. "Since when did ever refuse an opportunity for an adventure, firespitter?" He smirked and puffed his chest out. "I'm game for one any place, any time!"

"Oh, ARE you, Onewa Metru?"

He promptly deflated, turning around and looking meekly at his wife, who had just walked up behind him. "Er, Natay, dear, I thought you weren't coming till later? Till the rain let up...?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, the rain stopped an hour ago," Natay told him, and then glared. "And what's this about you goin' off on some adventure and leavin' me here all by myself?"

"Er...you could...uh, come if you want...?"

Nuju sighed, annoyed. "I knew it was a bad idea to let you get married. Listen, Natay, this is serious business here. We need all the help we can get, and Onewa's willing to help. So whether you wish it or not, he is coming with us."

The Hordika turned her glare on him now. "Really now! And I suppose none of you gave a thought for me or for your own mates now, did you? What're we supposed to do, just sit back here an' twiddle our thumbs while waiting for you to return? What kinda nonsense is THAT?!"

"It's not NONSENSE," Nuju argued back at her, "it's just fine! I don't want Siahta and Sayla to get involved in this anyway, and the further they are from this, the better! I'd never forgive myself if anything ever happened to either one of them."

"What about if something happened to your son?" Natay shot back, and he blanched, looking down at his son, who looked sleepily back at him. "You don't want your mate or daughter to get hurt, but if your son gets hurt, it doesn't matter?"

"That's not it at all," Nuju snapped, angry now. "Jingo's not a child anymore; he's been going on missions with me since he was eight!"

"And you!" She ignored him to turn on Whenua. "Letting your girl go on this without you! Do you want to lose her too?"

"No, not at all..." Whenua murmured, looking at Aki. "But...it's her decision and if she wants to go..."

Natay sighed. "NONE of you know how to think ahead, even after all these years." She looked at Vakama, who had been staring at her calmly the whole time. "I can't stop you from going, Vakama, but I WILL say this: if anything, and I mean ANYTHING, happens to my daughter out there, I will personally make sure you regret it. Got me?"

"I got you." He knew this was her way of telling them to go before she changed her mind. "Thank you, Natay."

"Don't thank me, thank the kids that'll be going out there and getting themselves hurt to make YOUR dream come true!" she snapped, and he sighed.

"I promise I'll keep them safe, Natay. Don't worry."

She grunted. "Hn. So, you're going on an adventure, eh?" she asked, turning to her spouse, who brightened considerably. It was rather like watching the sun come out from behind a cloud, Nuju noted with amusement. "Yeah! Er, that is, if it's alright with you and all..."

Natay's gaze softened. She loved her peaceful life with the one being who was willing to look past her appearance and the child they had had together, but...they both had adventure in their blood. She had had enough adventure to last her a lifetime, but then again, she was older than either of them. At least four thousand years older than Onewa. Maybe more.

She'd had her fill of adventure...but apparently they hadn't.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "If I protest, you'll be miserable and always wonder what woulda happened if you'd gone. If I say yes, you could end up getting killed. Lose-lose situation here, Onewa."

"I prefer to think of it more as a chance situation," he said, smiling now that he knew she would let him go without any drama. "And I promise we'll both come back to you, safe and sound. Right?"

"Right!" Nicole chirped, grabbing onto her mother's arm tightly. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll keep the noobies safe! They'll be fine with me!"

The Hordika opened her eyes. "...I know. Does Nokama know about this?" she shot at Vakama, and he nodded.

"We talked about it last night...and obviously she's not wild about the idea, but she understands that this is something that needs to happen. She was there when I promised Pridak I'd do it, so she knows...what it's like..." He trailed off, thinking of his wife. Maybe he WAS making a mistake here. Maybe he or Matob would die and never see her again. It was a definite possibility. Same for any of the others that were coming along.

And then there was the question of what was bothering Matob...would it hinder her in some way? He hoped not; some of the memories of the way he used to act around Nokama were rather cringe-worthy. Not that he'd ever want to forget them, of course. After having amnesia once, he never wanted to go through it again.

He looked troubled, Natay noticed, and so she summoned a smile and patted his shoulder with her mechanical right arm. He looked down at it as she did so, and she knew she had gotten her message across. There was more to lose in a battle than a mere arm, as she had. She'd been lucky to lose only that.

"Go out there, kick some butt, do it right, and come home safely." she said, and he nodded. "Otherwise you'll have me and Nokama and Siahta to deal with."

"Aunt Natay..." She turned to face Matob, who was staring, slightly shame-faced, at the floor. The young Water Toa raised her eyes to the Hordika's. "Do...do you really think we won't make it back? Is that why you're...doing this?"

Natay sighed and smiled. "Not at all. I'm just reminding your dad that even the best laid plans can go wrong, and to be careful. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

Matob smiled as well, relieved. "Right!" She glanced now at Eefera, who was talking quietly with Aki, and looked down again. "But...what if they DO get hurt...?"

The Hordika shrugged. "Do what a Toa would do. There's no way you're all gonna get outta this totally unscathed, but that doesn't mean you should just give up. If I'd given up when the Dark Hunters caught me, I'd be dead right now. So I'll say it again: do what a Toa would do. You've had a buncha good examples of Toa your whole life, so it shouldn't be too hard."

"Mm..."

"Right then, Vakama!" Natay's voice was now brisk. "Go ahead on your mission, and if any of these kids get hurt, you'll regret it. OK?"

He nodded. "Gotcha." He turned to the rest of them, eyes bright. "Now that that's settled, I want to leave by tomorrow. The sooner we get this over with, the better."

Jing gave a groan and buried his head in his arms. "Nnnngh...do we have to?"

"It will teach you to be less lazy," Nuju frowned at his son. "You've been on a boat before, do you not remember? Several times, in fact."

"Yeah, but never for this long," Jing grunted. "I'm not overly fond of sailing, Father."

His father rolled his eyes and sighed. "Where did I get such a son...?"

Whenua laughed. "I might ask the same about my daughter, except in a good way." He smiled down at Aki, and she gave a small smile back. "I always knew I'd do good as a dad..."

X x X

Something was wrong with her, Matob knew, as the meeting broke up. Something had BEEN wrong since yesterday, when Matau and Eefera came back, but she couldn't quite place it. Just what WAS wrong with her? She didn't feel sick or anything, just...weird. And not in a bad way, either.

It had something to do with Matau and Eefera's homecoming, of that she was certain. Did she wish that they had never come back? No, that wasn't it, she was ecstatic to see them again. She'd missed Eefera every minute he'd been away, but that was natural. He was one of the best friends she'd ever have, and it wasn't the same with him and his father gone.

So what was it, then? Maybe she was just too happy that they'd come back, and her emotions were all spent up because of it? She had never heard of anything like that before, but it SEEMED plausible. Slightly, anyway.

She watched as Jing got up and stretched, mumbling something to himself as his father waited for him, and Onewa and Natay bickering as they began to make their way home, Nicole trailing behind them and humming serenely to herself.

Her gaze shifted to Eefera, now talking to his father, who laughed at whatever he was saying, and she felt something inside of her clench almost painfully. What WAS it about him that was getting to her?

There was a tap on her shoulder, and Matob whirled around. It was Aki, and the older girl had a smirk on her face. "Hey there, Matty," she said easily.

"Um...hi, Aki," Matob answered slowly, not sure what there was to smirk about. Had she done something funny? "Er...can I help...you...?"

"Tch!" Aki shook her head, smirk widening. "Trust me, YOU'RE the one who needs MY help."

And now Matob felt nothing short of confused. "I do? What for? Did I do something wrong?"

"Hm...I guess you could put it that way," Aki mused. "Seriously, Matob. Figure your stuff out. It's annoying watching you angst over it."

"Uh, what? What am I angsting over?" Matob asked, now more confused than ever. "What's going on?"

Aki actually laughed at her then. "I'm not going to explain it out to you, Matob, because this is something that YOU have to figure out on your own, but really, you need to get it together. Otherwise you're going to drag us all down."

"Get what together? Do you...do you know what's wrong with me? You DO, don't you? Tell me! I wanna know what's wrong with me!"

The Earth Toa smirked again, obviously enjoying her distress. "Nope, can't, sorry. Like I said, this is something you have to figure out on your own. I WILL tell you this, though." She leaned in and whispered, "As much as he enjoyed your staring, it was a little unnerving."

Confusion broke over Matob again. "St-staring? Who was I staring at?"

Aki sighed and shook her head. "You're as clueless as ever." She closed her eyes and gave a smile as she began to follow her father, who was beginning to leave. "Figure it out, Matob!"

And she was gone, leaving Matob to ponder what she had just said and trail slowly after her own father.

X x X

There. That was easier than she'd thought it would be, which was a relief. Aki never thought she'd be telling Matob to get a move on with the object of HER affections, but she was anyway. And it was surprisingly easy. She'd felt barely a twinge as she'd seen the other girl blatantly looking at Eefera, and had almost laughed out loud at the almost confused expression on her face as she did so.

Aki did not harbor any delusions of true love, and never really had, but she had to admit she was glad that she had made the decision to let go of her silly crush. In fact, she felt lighter than she ever had before, and she knew it was showing. Yes...being in love was tiring.

She followed her father, smiling into the sunlight and carefully placing her feet exactly where he had placed his. It was amazing how big his footprints still were compared to her own. She had to admit, though, that despite their differences, she was immensely grateful to her father for everything he had done for her. After all, he had raised her patiently and gently after her mother passed, and was never unkind or mean about anything. Sure, he would discipline her when she did something bad, but again, he was never cruel about it.

_I never thought I'd think of myself as lucky..._ she thought, looking at his retreating back, _but weird enough...now I do._

"Hey, Dad," she called, and Whenua turned around to smile at her. "Yes, Aki?"

She surprised him by giving him a big hug. "I'm gonna miss you on this thing," she said, burying her face in his chest like she would as a child.

Whenua chuckled and hugged her back. "Aki, you'll find that when you love someone, they never really leave you." He closed his eyes and smiled up at the sun. "It's been sixteen years, but even so...I can still feel your mother around me."

"What about Matau and Eefera's mom?" she asked. "Does he feel the same way about her?" It was a question she had never dared to ask, but now seemed as good a time as ever. After all, she might die on this mission. You never knew...

He sighed. "Aki, I'll be frank with you. Matau and Tazuna...they weren't in love or anything like that. It was...well, just a fling. A one-night stand, if you will. Eefera wasn't supposed to be conceived. But when he was, Tazuna more or less blamed Matau for it, and left after telling him he'd never see her or the kid ever again."

"That's not fair!" Aki burst out. "It takes two to do it! It's not like he FORCED her!"

Whenua sighed again. "That's what I told him, but it was hard. She really got to him when she told him that, and he was never really the same afterwards. In fact, I think the first time I saw him really smile after that was when Eefera came to live him. It was like he had just decided to come alive again. And now look at him! He's just like he was in the old days...except slightly more responsible since he got Eefera. Raising a kid's no small deal, trust me." He smiled and patted her on the head.

She smiled back.

"Aki...I notice you're...much happier today. Are you SURE you're alright?"

She nodded, still smiling. "Sort of...but it's kinda nice, not having to deal with silly crushes anymore, that's for sure."

Her father laughed. "You'll find someone someday, trust me. Your special person's out there, and you'll know when you meet him. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet him sooner than you think."

Aki snorted. "As if, Dad."

X x X

There was never any sound in that room, except for rustles and the clinking of chains. The light was always dim, and constantly flickering. No lightstones here, only those archaic candles. Candles had always been used sparingly, only when luminescent creatures and lightstones were nowhere to be found, but there were lightstones in the hallways outside. There was no reason that they should not be here.

Except to prove a point.

She wasn't worthy of true light.

The door opened, and light streamed in. The occupant of the room turned away from it, hiding a grimace. It hurt her eyes. She would have given anything to get out of this room, but after so many years in an almost-twilight, regular light made her eyes tear up and stream.

She heard the clinking of chains other than her own and knew immediately who it was. The voice that came next confirmed it.

"Here. Take your brat for a while. I'll be back in an hour to take him back, though, so no funny business, you hear?"

"Yes, of course," she murmured, not looking at him. "Thank you."

"Hn," he grunted, and shoved the younger creature at her hard. "No funny business. I mean it."

The door slammed as the younger of the two in chains picked itself up off the floor.

"Mother."

She opened her arms to him, and he went into them willingly, although shifting uncomfortably as the chains bit into him. "I'm tired."

"You're also shaking," she said, holding him at arm's length and looking him up and down in the dim light. "Are you ill?"

"No." he replied. "I hurt. I was working all night." He really WAS shaking, however, as though exhausted. This she did not doubt. They worked her son to the bone every night, along with the other slaves they kept. He was just another worker to them. A worker that could change his shape to meet the expectations of the circumstance.

She gently took his hand in hers, almost wincing at how cold it was. "What did they have you do?"

"I had to change into a Kane-Ra," he told her, closing his eyes, orange like her own, "and pull the loads through the snow. They kept whipping me if I did not move fast enough. It was heavy..." He said all this without emotion, without conviction. She frowned.

"Show some emotion, Tier. Our race is not known for taking things like this lying down. It is almost a shame to call you the same as me sometimes."

His eyes flashed at her, and she felt a thrill of relief. He wasn't broken yet. Good. "It is hard to feel emotions when I am this tired, Mother." he said almost reproachfully. "We are not getting anywhere like this. Having emotions only makes it harder to be here."

There were few things that Tier feared, and his mother's wrath was one of those few things. He recoiled as she sat bolt upright, eyes flashing dangerously. "And when my kin and home were destroyed, did I merely give up on myself and die?" she demanded. "I did not. I kept going until I found myself a new home and settled down there."

"And what good it did you." Tier said dully. "In chains for who knows how long, forced to sit in this room because they fear you--"

"Wrong." He blinked, but did not say anything. "I helped someone out in my new home, and was...banished for it. It was when I was trying to make my way back that I was captured and brought here."

His mother gave a small smile and ran her hand along the length of the chains coming from his wrist. "I wish..."

"Wish what, Tier?" Her eyes were calculating.

He quickly shook his head. "Nothing."

The rest of their time was spent in silence, except for the clinking of chains.

X x X

If there was one thing Macaber hated, it was working in Freezeheart's palace. He hated the cold that permeated it relentlessly, he hated the residents, he hated the other officers, and most of all, he hated his boss, Zyvus Koriseva.

Unlike his twin, Amoto, he was nowhere near being wiry, and was better built than his rather mild-mannered brother. His temper was also much worse, hence the reason why Amoto was chosen to go on the voyage with their boss instead of him. This only served to solidify his dislike of Zyvus. It showed that he was not trusted as much as his brother was, despite them holding the same rank.

Once slaves themselves, the brothers had managed to win the favor of Freezeheart's Regent by proving themselves excellent warriors - or rather, Macaber had. Amoto was nowhere as good a fighter as he was, but the Regent had chosen to elevate them both to free being status - or, as free as anyone in this country could be with Zyvus Koriseva in charge.

The boss was due back any day now, and Macaber was just as excited as anyone else in the palace. That is, excitement did not even enter the equation. Life was better when the boss was gone on one of his little adventures. There were less executions, and less tension. You were less likely to be thrown into the gladiator pit for an imagined transgression, as well.

Macaber had been in the gladiator pit once before, and it was an experience he did not wish to repeat. Despite being an excellent warrior in his own right, he had found himself fighting for his life in the ring, and was relieved when at last the boss had decided he had been punished enough and had him removed.

That was another of his many faults concerning his job. He refused to refer to Zyvus as anything more respectful than "the boss", even to his face. It had gotten him a great deal of punishments, but amazingly, he hadn't been executed yet. He allowed himself a smile. He was too useful to be considered for killing just yet. After all, the yearly tournaments had been his idea, and they were an enormous source of funds for the government. Not to mention spectacular entertainment.

He walked to the room where he had been only an hour earlier and yanked it open, blinking in the dim light. Great Spirits above, he hated this place. Even the freaking prisoners were freaks of nature. Whoever heard of a creature able to shift its shape to whatever it wished?

"Brat, get over here!" he barked, and the younger of the two creatures in the room shuffled over with his chains rattling annoyingly. Macaber sneered at him and motioned. Tier bent over and collected his chain ends, handing them to the Frozen, who yanked on them as soon as they were in his grasp.

"Say goodbye to your mother, brat." he said, and the adolescent bowed to her, murmuring a goodbye. Slamming the door shut before she could reply, Macaber gave a sharp tug on the chains. Tier stumbled as his feet were nearly yanked from underneath him, but managed to regain his balance and hurried along after the Frozen.

He sneered at his back, grateful that his captor could not see his face. If there was anyone most of the slaves here disliked, it was Macaber. Granted, he and his brother were better liked than the other officers and higher-ranking beings around here, but not by much. At least Macaber wasn't cruel, like the majority of them. He had been a slave himself once, so the story went, and he knew what it was like to be in their lives.

In fact, his brief time in the gladiator pit was due to his treatment of the slaves. He had refused to execute a young Matoran slave who had collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of its work hours, even when ordered to by Koriseva. This insubordination had earned him a ticket straight to the middle of the pit. However, it had distracted Koriseva and the officers from the Matoran, who was discreetly carried away by friends and nursed back to health while the palace was still in an uproar over the act of defiance.

The slaves' opinion of him changed rapidly after that.

Tier was not afraid of Macaber, but he still knew enough to be respectful. There was an odd sort of honor about him, something he could not quite place. Like most Frozen, he was colored white, but had distinct red markings that the former King Pridak and Zyvus Koriseva both had. Tier took comfort in the fact that he resembled the former King. He would never admit it, but sometimes he pretended that Macaber really WAS Pridak, returned to claim the throne again and kick Zyvus Koriseva out once and for all.

Now back near the slave barracks, Macaber yanked open a lone door and shoved the slave inside it. Although technically not part of the barracks, this room was close enough to them to be considered as such. Usually, it served as the home of the Slave Master. In recent years, however, it had Tier's home. Why this thing would get such preferential treatment was beyond Macaber, but he did as he was told.

"I'll be back for you in a few hours." he said, keeping the door slightly open still. "So it would be wise for you to rest up in that time, because I don't accept slacking in the field."

"Yes sir." Tier bowed to him and laid down to rest on the bed in the corner. Macaber grunted and shut the door, locking it behind him and striding away to attend to one of his many other duties. He still had a great deal of the year's tournament to arrange, and it wouldn't get done by him slacking around the slave quarters. He hurried off to Koriseva's office and unlocked it, shutting the door behind him.

Now...to review this year's teams that would be competing. He snorted when he saw the names that some had given themselves. It was common for a team to have an official name, but some of these were just borderline ridiculous.

_I think I should retire,_ he thought wryly. Sighing and picking up a pen, he got to work, the only sound for the next several hours being that of the pen scratching against the surface of the paper.

X x X

Shay Moonsilk was officially Not Happy.

She supposed she should be grateful that she and her two children had managed to escape the fire unharmed, but at the same time, the only thing she felt right then was a burning anger. Hauling herself and her daughter out of the ocean, she glared around at the smoke still rising from the tiny island she had lived on for the past nineteen years and positively glared.

"Are you both alright?" she asked without looking at them. Her daughter, May, nodded tiredly. "I'm OK."

Her son, named Fenrir, was not so good. "Are you kidding me?" he asked incredulously. "Our dad was just kidnapped and our home burned down, and you ask if we're alright?"

Shay's eyes blazed as she turned towards him. "Don't get smart with me, Fenrir. I'm not in the mood for it right now."

"Where do you think they took Dad?" May asked, breaking in between them.

Shay sighed, looking utterly defeated. "I honestly don't know, May. Did you hear anything before you escaped?"

Her daughter shook her head. "No, except to capture us." She know looked positively guilty. "And Dad was trying to let me get away...that's why he was captured."

"Wouldn't-a been able to live with himself if he'd let you get captured." Fenrir grunted. "Typical Pops behavior..."

They were silent as they began to make their way to the middle of the island, avoiding the fire, which by now was beginning to calm down. Shay gave a small sob at the sight of their home, burned to the ground. "Oh Mata Nui..."

"Whadda we do now?" Fenrir asked. "Ma, there's no way we can stay here now, right? Where do we go?"

"I think the boat might have survived," she murmured. "Did your weapons make it?"

He dashed into the wreckage of their home and yanked open the secret trapdoor in his bedroom leading down to his store of weapons. A joyous shout greeted her as she and May crowded around it and peered inside. "Yeah! They're alright!" He appeared back up with an armful of what appeared to be a bunch of large wooden dolls, staggering a little under their weight. "I dunno how, but they got through the fire!"

Shay smiled. "You're just like your dad, more worried about your pet projects than about yourself." Her face fell again. "But...it doesn't look like anything else made it through..."

And indeed nothing else had. All around them was pure wreckage. "None of the crops...the house...the island itself..."

Now that the anger was beginning to drain away, sorrow was taking its place. "And Mano..."

Wherever he was, she could only hope that he was alright. He was a strong being; Vortixx as a general rule were tough. Hopefully that natural toughness was serving him right now.

But there was a time for grieving later. Right now, she had a duty to her children, and that was to find a safe place for them. The safest place she could think of on such short notice was Metru Nui. Probably the safest place in the world, in fact. It wouldn't surprise her if that were true.

Alright. She had made her decision. They would set out for Metru Nui immediately, and hopefully they'd make it before nightfall. She was pretty sure she remembered the way; her sense of direction had always been good (unlike her husband's). It had taken them a while to find this place, only because they hadn't known exactly what they were looking for. Now that she knew what she needed to find, she was confident she'd find it.

"Get whatever puppets you can carry and bring them," she told Fenrir, who nodded enthusiastically. "May can help you if need be. We're going to Metru Nui."

"What about finding Dad?" May asked, following her older brother back into the trapdoor.

Her mother bit her lip and hesitated, but eventually answered. "...we'll deal with that when we can. First, we need a safe place to stay."

"K." May accepted this with as much grace as she could and took the puppets Fenrir handed her, carrying them silently to the small boat that had somehow survived the fire. Within an hour, they had set out to the north, towards Metru Nui.

"You CAN find it, right?" Fenrir asked dubiously as his mother took the wheel in her hands. The boat wasn't big, and he was half-certain it would sink. Not to mention his slight case of hydrophobia; the very idea of this little adventure was causing it to act up a little. But if it meant coming a little closer to being able to save his father, then he was willing to risk it.

"Trust me, when it comes to pathfinding, I'm second to none." She gave him a grin, and when she did, he could imagine her as the Dark Hunter captain she had once been.

"Check on the rep, second to none." he murmured under his breath, and laughed a little.

He gave the boat a shove, and then leaped into it as it began to pull away from the shore, making it rock a little.

X x X

Malvado had no way of telling what time it was down in the bowels of the ship he was currently being held prisoner on, but he COULD tell who the third prisoner was. He recognized the smell and the voice immediately.

Not to mention the tendency for temper loss when it came to pompous morons.

"I swear to the Mountain on Xia, I will rip your spine out and make you EAT it, you hear me?! EAT IT! I'll shove it so far down your throat you'll be crapping it out! And then I'll make you eat it AGAIN! And then, I'll burn you alive, just like you did to--"

There was a loud WHUMP, and Mano gave a groan of pain. Malvado winced. It sounded like the Vortixx had just taken a first class punch to the gut.

"I notice your hands are in rather bad shape," his captor's voice said coldly. "Do not make me put them into even worse conditions, Vortixx. Any freedom you once had, you can forget about. You belong to me now."

"I don't belong to anybody except myself," Mano snarled through short gasps of pain. "So you can just forget about any delusions of me 'belonging' to you right now."

"Hm." their captor hummed. "There's still a lot of fire in you. A week in Freezeheart should change that."

"Go eat your own--"

He gave a yelp as he was suddenly shoved into the wall of the boat, and shackles her hurriedly placed around his wrists and ankles.

Zyvus Koriseva watched his men chain the Vortixx up without emotion and turned away. "I see you still require some breaking. From now on, you are one of my slaves. And I do not tolerate that behavior from slaves. Count yourself lucky that I do not have you executed right now, Vortixx."

 Before Mano could make another rude reply, he and his men were gone.

Mano sighed and slumped down after tugging on his shackles and giving it up. There was no way he could break them in his current condition. "Well THIS bites," he grumbled, and Malvado gave a small chuckle.

"It does, doesn't it?"

The Vortixx sat bolt upright. "Holy Mata Nui, is that you, Malvado Hordika?"

"The one and the same." Malvado replied. "So, how's our situation looking?"

"The usual."

"Huh, that bad? Nice." The Hordika gave a snort of wry amusement. "So, what'd our host look like when you were saying all that?"

"Eh, just sorta stared at me...why? You're right there, you could've seen him easily. You don't have your blindfold on..."

"Don't bother turning away from me." Malvado told him. "Even if I could see, I wouldn't open them."

The Vortixx made a sound of confusion. "What do you mean, even if you could...oh." A surprised sadness entered his voice. "Wow, Malvado...so you're...?"

"Blind? Yeah. I made the mistake of insulting him to his face, and he rewarded me with a slash across the face. Haven't been able to see anything since, but at least I've stopped bleeding. I dunno if my sight'll come back though. Doubt it."

Mano sighed angrily. "That freak's a coward. Instead of fighting me for himself, he let his men sit back and do all the work for him. Jeez, not even Shinoda did that."

"As I recall, Shinoda was only too happy to run after his own prey," Malvado remarked wryly. "Persistence was one of his better qualities, although the way he used it was definitely questionable."

The thing chained next to him gave a sad-sounding hiss, and he sighed. "No, no one's come to save us yet, Turahk." he said. "I doubt they will, too, no one knows where we're going. Heck, even WE don't really know where this 'Freezeheart' place is. It sorta rings a bell, but I still don't recognize it."

Mano craned his head to look at the red being Malvado had just spoken to. "What is that thing? Some kinda...hey, that's a Rahkshi! What's a Rahkshi doing here?"

"What do you think? He got kidnapped too, use your brain," Malvado snorted. "Looks like no one saw him get taken either, or at least, the only one who would've seen got taken out before it happened. Anyway, Mano, meet Turahk, one of Makuta Teridax's personal creations. Turahk, meet Mano of Xia. He's an old friend of mine."

Turahk hissed something, and Malvado laughed. "No, he can't help us right now either. But we'll get out as soon as possible, I swear it."

"Darn right we will." Mano snapped. "There's no way I'm staying here and leaving Shay to come rescue me like that."

"She may have to." Malvado told him. "The way things are looking here, I doubt we'll be able to help ourselves. But, I think we're going north; it's been getting colder since we left my island. That's what it seems like, anyway. Maybe it's just me."

Turahk hissed almost fearfully. Being reptilian and therefore cold-blooded, intense frost was not something he was sure he could deal with successfully. Rahkshi could take cold only in small doses. They preferred warmer climates, like most reptiles.

Unlike the Hordika sitting across from him, Mano couldn't tell what the Rahkshi had just said, but he recognized the undertones of fear in it. He had to admit that he, too, was afraid. He had just been kidnapped, his home and probably his family with it had been burned, and he was under the thumb of what was obviously a heartless tyrant. It was like being around the Shadowed One all over again, except that the Shadowed One had showed more emotion than Zyvus Koriseva had. His former boss was also more predictable. At least with him, one could usually get the general gist of what was going on. With Zyvus Koriseva, his lack of emotion made that nearly impossible.

"Wherever this Freezeheart place is," he said slowly, "I don't think it's going to be pleasant."

X x X

"_But I won't run  
There's no turning back from here."  
--Within Temptation, "Stand My Ground"_

X x X

**AN: Did anyone notice the song lyric (besides the ones at the beginning and end of each chapter)? If you can name both the song AND the artist, you win a free cameo in here, so figure it out! The scene between Malvado, Turahk, and Mano was mad fun to write, while the one with Macaber wasn't. But I decided to introduce him now, to get it over with. I'm actually not sure if there wouldn't have been a better time, but meh.**

**Anyway, my college schedule fills up tomorrow, as my other two classes will officially start. Sigh. Having only two and not four classes per week was nice, but now it's over, I guess! Biology, woo!**

**Review, please, it helps my ego. -annihilated-**


	6. Make It Worth My While

**Gawd, I apologize for the awfully long wait. I didn't realize just how much time had gotten away from me, seriously o-o I really am sorry for just how long I took to update - seven months!**

**I actually had about thirteen pages of this done in December, but then lost my muse for it again and didn't start writing again until last week. Didn't come out quite like I had imagined, but overall I am pleased with it.**

**Disclaimer: Anyone you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me. Siahta and Sayla belong to **_**Sylla Shadowfrost**_**. Shay Moonsilk belongs to **_**Shay Moonsilk**_**. Nicole belongs to **_**Arya-Metru**_**. Katsu belongs to **_**Kristine-sama**_**. Everyone else is property of LEGO Enterprises. "Stand My Ground" belongs to Within Temptation.**

**Summary: Years after the Shadow Wars, Matob, Vakama's daughter, is finally ready to accept the throne that her father denied after the death of Pridak. But no one ever said it would be easy to take the throne. A tournament for the crown is set up. The catch? Honor makes no appearance in Freezeheart's Regent Council, and in order to make sure Matob and her friends don't win, a series of some of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen is pitted against them. At the same time, runaway slave Rowan battles desperately for his people's freedom, risking all to prove that his parentage is the least of everyone's worries about him. Despite his initial shortcomings, he offers Matob his help, and together, along with Eefera, Aki, Jing, and Nicole, they are an almost unbeatable force. **_**I just know there's no escape now, once it sets its eyes on you. But I won't run; I have to stare it in the eye.**_** "Destiny is not who you are...it is who you can become."**

**A Path Well Traveled  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_Stand my ground  
I won't give in  
No more denying  
I got to face it..."_

X x X

Instead of being able to go look for Silarial early in the morning as he had planned, Icarax was instead forced to sit in a meeting with Teridax, Gorast, Mutran, Chirox, and several other of their associates, discussing how best to go about their plan for world domination. Or whatever it was that Teridax was so hellbent on achieving, Icarax wasn't even sure anymore, the plan had changed so many times.

"Discussing" is probably too nice a word to use for the words being said in the meeting, as Gorast's mouth was fairly foul. Her suggestions were shot down immediately (as they usually were, for being too violent and careless), and she did not take lightly to the rejection. Especially since it was Vamprah doing the rejecting.

The mute Makuta watched boredly as the female jumped to her feet and began to snarl angrily at him, the snarls becoming shouts when he refused to even nod or shake his head at her. Really, she was so dramatic. Way too dramatic. And fanatical. She was obsessed with her job, which annoyed him. Obsessions were bad for the health, which was why he merely got his various assignments over and then went back to his own life and his own pleasures. Even if he COULD talk, he probably wouldn't have bothered replying to her.

Icarax could feel a headache coming on as Teridax stood up, loudly declared the meeting over, and dismissed them before telling Gorast to stay a few minutes (likely for the purpose of scolding her for ruining yet ANOTHER meeting).

If she was so much trouble, then why didn't they just kill her already, Icarax wondered. Oh right, because she was the last female they had. Or ALMOST the last female, he corrected himself. Speaking of which, he needed to find the only other female Makuta before the day was over.

He went back to his own quarters and looked over his assignments and missions, analyzing notes he had taken on them and reports brought back from the other Makuta from their missions, looking for any flaw that might present itself to their plans. Upon finding none over an hour later, he stood up and stretched, feeling his essence moving about restlessly within his armor. He really needed to get a tune-up, he thought dryly. It had been ages since his last one, and although Makuta armor was extraordinarily durable, it was always a good idea to get checked out every once in a while.

The last time he'd had one was admittedly over a thousand years ago, though. He was strong enough to fend off most devastating attacks (from all except a fellow Makuta), and hadn't been in any major battles for what felt like (and probably was) countless centuries.

Either way, his armor was starting to creak rather irritatingly. He enjoyed the intimidation smaller creatures felt upon seeing the huge form his armor supplied, but the downside to it was that it was a hassle to take care of properly. He had better things to do than clean his armor.

Deciding he'd deal with that at another time, he got up and went to go find Silarial to continue to interrogate her. She was probably still in her own room, sulking about something or other, or already getting started on the tasks he had allotted her. The latter was doubtful though, since she had a tendency to skip out on work when she didn't feel like doing it. And after what had happened two days ago, he doubted she would feel like working for a long time.

Her room when he got to it, however, was empty. A cold breeze came from the window, and he took a moment to inspect the interior. Plain. Very plain. A bed (which looked as though she had been in it until just recently), a desk, a chair too small to fit any Makuta other than her, and a small table against the wall with a lightstone lamp and a carved picture resting on it.

To his surprise, that carving was of himself, with Silarial herself and Teridax included as well. In it, Silarial had her head leaning on her father's shoulder, and she was smiling. Her hand, though, he noticed, was entwined with his own.

What was this about? To his credit, the Icarax in the carving wasn't smiling; in fact, he looked slightly annoyed and was looking to the side, away from the other two Makuta, standing slightly apart from them as well. Well, that was an at least. His hand was limp while hers clasped it tightly.

Silarial had made this, that much was obvious. How, he had no idea, but nonetheless, she had. Strange, he had never had any idea she even knew how to carve or do anything like it. As he often taunted her, she was dead clumsy, and not exactly in an endearing way. Sure, it was funny, but it was also exasperating to watch her walk into a wall or trip over her own feet for the millionth time in a row. Being smaller, shouldn't her coordination by default be better?

After a moment of scrutinizing the carving, Icarax set it back down on the small table (he had to bend slightly to do so, being that it was Silarial-sized and all), and left her room to search for her elsewhere.

Two hours later, he still hadn't found her.

This might have been due in part to the fact that the fortress was so large, but really, where in the name of Karzahni was that little annoyance hiding?

He finally collared a black and red Rahkshi as it passed him when he finally went to go look outside, demanding information from it. He knew this one, another of Teridax's creations. Rahkshi of Darkness, Shadrahk. Mild-mannered, brilliant, studious, quiet. Not to mention the most powerful kind of Rahkshi out there. Shadrahk was a strange case; whereas most Rahkshi were only too willing to cause absolute havoc, he was more interested in the world around him and what it could teach him, along with the many ways it could be used to help him further his Master's plans.

Make no mistake, Shadrahk was definitely Teridax's creation.

"Have you seen Silarial?" Icarax asked, hanging onto the black and red Rahkshi's right arm. He wasn't getting away any time soon, THAT was for certain.

Shadrahk nodded, bowing respectfully. "Yes, sir."

"When was this?"

"She came and visited us earlier this morning, sir."

"Did she say anything while she was here?"

"Yes, sir, she said the common courtesies such as 'hello' and 'goodbye', along with asking me for help with something."

"Which was...?" He was trying not to sound TOO curious; he didn't want the little reptile running off and telling Silarial he was searching for her before he could find her or anything.

"She wanted to know if I could help her fix a rather large hole in her right hand, sir. It seemed some acid from Sir Mutran's lab had burned it into her, and she was unable to fix it herself. I told her that unfortunately I couldn't do anything about it, but Therahk could."

Icarax raised a brow. "And did she find Therahk?"

Shadrahk shook his head. "No, sir. Immediately after I had spoken, she looked at the sun, said she was late, and left."

"Did she say where she was going?"

Again, the Rahkshi shook his head. "No, sir."

Icarax sighed and released him, looking back at the fortress. "But she went back inside, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." That narrowed his options down considerably. Of course, she could have gone outside again at any given point, but knowing Silarial, that wasn't likely. She only went out there for guard duty and to bother the Rahkshi, which she had already done that day. And she wasn't scheduled again for guard duty any time soon after last time's fiasco, so that was a no go as well.

Mutran's lab also yielded no results, and the scientist Makuta informed him that she had finished cleaning in there the day before. Grumbling, Icarax stormed out, leaving Mutran to wrestle with his latest biological "masterpiece".

He was walking back to her room to see if by chance she had returned to it when he heard something that sounded oddly like singing. In fact, it WAS singing. Strange singing, but singing nonetheless.

He followed it a few doors down from where he currently was, to the very room he had sentenced her to her tasks in, to find her on the floor near the desk (that was actually Bitil's), scrubbing away at the floor and singing rather loudly. Apparently she was under the impression that nobody could hear her.

"...I'll take your secret to my grave...forevermore be your slave...because I'm spellbound..."

Wow, that wasn't morbid at _all_.

Icarax stepped inside and closed the door behind him, slightly surprised she hadn't noticed it opening and shutting, nor his footsteps. She DID, however, notice when he cleared his throat loudly, and she jumped up, hitting her head on the desk and curling into a ball, whining and holding it painfully.

When she looked up a moment later, he swore her armor paled in color, but a second later, she gave him a smile. "Oh, hi, Icarax! Uh, what're you doing in here?"

"I WAS looking for you, to make sure you were doing your punishment tasks," he replied. "Apparently you are."

"Of course." she said. "I'm nearly done in here, and then it's just the main hall and...your room." She looked slightly disconcerted about that last one, and he felt a momentary surge of annoyance. Did she think his room was going to be bad or something? Sure, he was planning on messing it up to give her a hard time, but it was usually in fairly good order. Somewhat, anyway.

He noticed her staring at him, and raised a brow at her, to which she looked at her feet. A red tint stained her face. "U-um, I'll just get back to my work, if you don't mind..."

"First, tell me what's wrong with you."

"What?" She looked up, eyes wide. She looked almost scared, he noticed.

"Tell me what the matter is with you. Why can't you fix a simple crack in the wall, or a hole in your own hand? Why did you go to Shadrahk to ask him for help with that second problem?" At this, she flinched, but he went on. "There's something wrong with you, Silarial, and I want to know what it is."

"Um..." He could tell she was really struggling with herself here and took a step forward to emphasize that he was NOT leaving until she had explained herself. She took a step back, crashed into the desk, and vaulted right over it, landing with a thump and a clank on the other side of it. When she managed to pull herself up, her face was about as red as a ruby. He hadn't known it was possible to blush that hard. She looked like she was about to pass out, she was so embarrassed.

"Now that you're done being a clumsy moron, would you mind answering my question?"

"Er...I, uh..."

"_Yes?_" What part of, "I want to know what's wrong with you" did she not get?

She hung her head again. "I tried to make a kraata the other day. It, uh, didn't work out quite as well as I'd hoped it would."

Silence.

Silarial chanced a peek up at him a second later, nonexistent breath held, and was surprised to find him shaking with laughter. Then, as she watched, Icarax threw his head back and laughed. Laughed...and laughed...and laughed.

"Are you serious?" he asked once he had gotten a hold of himself, and shamefacedly, she nodded.

Icarax snorted, to her relief, and placed a finger on her forehead, giving her a light shove backwards. Unfortunately, light for Icarax was not so for Silarial, and she slammed into the desk again. Before she could vault over it for the second time, he reached out and grasped her by her injured hand, pulling her back to her feet.

"Ouch!" She gave a gasp of pain and grabbed her hand back, holding it to her chest and resisting the impulse to whimper. Spirits, that _hurt_! She really needed to find Therahk as soon as possible and get the Rahkshi of Quick Healing to fix her hand...

Icarax frowned at her and grabbed her hand back, inspecting it and frowning deeper. She tugged, but he was too strong for her and indeed, didn't even seem to notice her pulling. Carefully, he ran one finger around the rim of the hole, and she gave a muffled shriek.

"That HURTS! Ack, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again! Hey, wh-what're you doing? Let go of me! OUCH! THAT HURTS, YOU--"

"Oh shut up," Icarax snapped exasperatedly, holding her hand up for her to see. To her surprise, there was no longer a hole anywhere in sight. "I was fixing your hand for you, you dolt. No need to get so worked up." He smirked at her. "What did you THINK I was doing, trying to make it worse?"

"I wouldn't put it past you." she retorted. Then, turning red once again, she muttered, "...but thank you."

He shrugged it off. "Whatever. Just don't let it happen again. And don't try to make kraata anymore, either. You don't want to lose your powers again, do you? Speaking of which, when will they be back?"

She shrugged, looking relieved. Which, indeed, she was. "Few days, maybe. I don't really know, that's the first time I've ever tried to make kraata. Maybe they'll never come back."

Looking up at him after this last remark made her wish she'd never said it. "Er...but I'm sure they'll be back sooner or later..."

"They had better," he said. A silence passed between them, before he cleared his throat. "When you're done in here, go clean the floor of the main hall. When you're done with that, start on my room."

"You're going to mess it up for me, aren't you?" she sighed, and he grinned. "Possibly. The temptation is very hard to resist."

She groaned, and he laughed. "Too bad you don't have your powers right now, otherwise you could have gotten it all done in no time flat. Not that I'd let you use them even if you HAD them, obviously, but..."

She responded by throwing her cleaning rag at him, and he stalked out of the room, still laughing at her. "Not MY fault you were stupid enough to try to create a kraata, Miss Fussy Armor!"

Her eyes watched him go, and he didn't see the sad smile on her face as she turned away from him to finish her task.

X x X

For perhaps the eight millionth time that day (in actuality, it was the sixteenth), Macaber gave a harsh, angry sigh and glared at the papers on his desk. He HATED paperwork. Hated it with a passion, but SOMEONE had to do the grunt work around here, and since the boss was out, it fell to him to oversee everything in the palace.

It didn't help that tournament contenders were already arriving, and he was forced to provide housing and accommodations for them all. Some of them had the pickiest tastes, which annoyed him. Real warriors could not afford to be picky. They dealt with what they were given, and that was that. It was how survival was achieved.

He turned a glare at the other being occupying the room. Ordinarily he didn't mind females, but this one was a particularly aggravating specimen, even managing to get under his brother Amoto's skin several times. Like most in the Northern lands, she was a Frozen. Unlike him, the boss, and Amoto, however, she lacked markings of any kind, instead being colored totally white.

White was a pure color, although Katsu was anything but, possessing a bloodlust that exceeded his own. She also had an unfortunate obsession with explosives, and Macaber was only one of many who had been on the receiving end of one of her...gifts.

It was revenge for never noticing her, he thought tiredly. Not in the way she wanted, anyway. And he doubted he ever WOULD notice her in that way. He was there to work, not cater to the whims of a crazed female. She WAS useful sometimes though, he had to admit - although those times were rather few and far between. Why the boss put up with her was anybody's guess. To be honest, compared to the way most of the other servants (including himself, he was forced to admit) were treated by the coldhearted dictator ruling their land, Katsu was actually quite spoiled.

"I didn't ask you here to stare at me." he snapped at her, and Katsu grinned at him. "Get to work reviewing those papers." He nodded at the pile next to the one he was attempting to sort through, making her roll her eyes.

"Make it worth my while and maybe I will." she replied. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Alright then. Review those papers and I won't cut off your supply of combustibles OR report you to the boss for being useless."

She pouted at him, but he had already turned back to his paperwork. "No fun at all, 'Caber. You KNOW I hate paperwork."

"What a coincidence," he sneered, "so do I. No one cares. Get to work."

Katsu picked the bundle up, bringing it into her lap with a distasteful sniff. "You're even meaner than Lord Koriseva, 'Caber. Hello, what's this?" She pulled a random paper out of the bundle, observing it with sharp eyes. "You're entering the tournament? Wow, you've got more guts than I gave you credit for!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Macaber snapped, snatching it away from her and pointing to the information she had previously missed. "I'm refereeing, moron, not competing. I've got no intention of getting myself killed or hopelessly maimed for a useless cause."

"Well, I'M gonna compete. It woulda been fun to fight you."

He arched a brow at her, frowning. "You're competing again? But you're just going to drop out!"

Katsu snickered. "That's the point. I go in, blow a couple teams up, then before the finals, I surrender and leave peacefully. It's a lot of fun, you should try it sometime."

Macaber shook his head, looking disgusted. "No, thank you. If I do something, then I want it to have some PURPOSE to it, not just...blowing others up for fun."

He refused to acknowledge her again after that, despite every attempt to get him to do otherwise, and actually let out a sigh of relief when she stood up and stomped out in a huff around an hour later, slamming the door behind her. Finally, he could get some real work done. Never should have asked for help in the first place, but could he be blamed? He was up to his neck in it...

There was an odd number of teams, which meant that unless one dropped out or there was a late entry, they would have to do an extra round. Not that this was a problem, but the disruption of an otherwise clean, even roster annoyed him.

Scratching at the red markings on his face, he threw himself into his paperwork with conviction, fully aware that the sooner he finished, the sooner he would get to relax. Annoyingly, his mind kept wandering back to Katsu, however. He had never taken a mate and didn't plan to (if anything, passing on their line was Amoto's job), but that wasn't what bothered him most about her. What bothered him was her obvious nonchalance about death. He had killed rebels before in his life and doubtless would again, but she found pleasure in wanton murder. It just wasn't right.

More than a few hapless beings would meet their ends from her explosions once the tournament began, he predicted with a grim frown. Bloody idiot, with her flirty attitude and her stupid combustibles. He hated females. There WAS one who had caught his eye once, but...

That was unimportant. He had decided long ago that females weren't worth the energy most males seemed to waste on them, and he didn't intend on going back on that.

Now, he had a load of paperwork to sort through and needlessly reminiscing wasn't going to get anything done.

X x X

While Macaber was busy wading through stacks of paperwork, Katsu was filled with a different sense of purpose from her fellow Frozen. It was no secret that she was mad, and she loved the fact that it was so obvious. Madness was something that most creatures seemed to fear, and the more who feared her, the better.

_Madness is in the eye of the beholder,_ she reminded herself, snickering. _It isn't mad to me, but it's absolutely crazy to them. Idiots. I'm a bloody genius._

She felt like blowing something up. Well, she usually felt like it, but right now the urge was particularly strong. She accredited this to Macaber's stubbornness. It was no secret that she liked him, but he was steadfastly cold and indifferent towards her, which frustrated her. Here she was, willing to be his, and he didn't care! Did he know how many other males would kill for the chance? She doubted it was because there was another female catching his attention (indeed, if that had been the case, she would have long ago hunted said female down and given her a first-hand experience of what happens when one is strapped to roughly fifty pounds of mercury fulminate and kerosene and then shoved off a cliff), so what WAS it?

Deciding it was stuffy inside the palace, Katsu headed outside into the snow, thanking the Great Beings that there were no snowstorms today. Instead, the sun shown down onto her, blinding her as the tightly packed snow caught it and reflected it again. It made her smile. She'd always loved bright things; it was part of the reason why she'd first become an arsonist.

Smiling, Katsu turned her face to the suns, staring into them unabashedly. There was true beauty in the perpetual fire of the suns, and she admired and envied them for it. Constant explosions. Life up there must have been wonderful, provided anyone could live there, she mused. What would it be like to live inside one of the suns, constantly being blown up and put back together, only to be ripped apart again by another explosion seconds later?

Fission and fusion. Two of her favorite chemical processes.

A rustling caught her attention, and without hesitation she reached into her belt and pulled out a small bottle, throwing it into the nearest snowbank. It detonated, and although it was loud, she caught the barest hint of a gasp of pain.

"Come out, come out..." Katsu sang, stalking over to the ruined snowbank, now tainted by her mini-bomb, which she fondly referred to as a "deton". "Hurry up, I HATE playing hide-and-seek!"

Nothing.

"Why are you so scared?" she snarled, annoyed that whoever it was had yet to show themselves. "I promise your death will be spectacular. Bang, bang, one good explosion and you'll be dead. You deserve it, you know, for spying on me."

Still nothing.

"FIGHT ME!" she screamed, kicking at the snow and sending it flying in all directions. "I WANT TO FIGHT YOU!" A second later, she had dug into her belt again and pulled out more detons, flinging them all around herself and not even noticing as they exploded much closer to her than was safe. It was only when she felt something warm and thick sliding down her leg that she stopped her tantrum and looked down at the blood that was pooling on the snow-covered ground from the enormous gash on her upper calf.

Katsu cursed angrily, ready to start another tantrum and completely forgetting what she had been raging about in the first place. Cut open by one of her own detons...how absolutely aggravating! Now she had to go inside and bandage herself up, not to mention mix together more detons, as she had used up her entire stock in her little tantrum.

As she stomped back inside, leaving a bloody trail, she didn't see the blue shape that carefully slinked away, clutching its side in pain. If she had, she would have chased after it and killed it, with or without detons.

X x X

Keorin swore as horribly as Katsu had, wincing as the young Frozen beside her wrapped up her burned torso as carefully as he could. "S-sorry," the Frozen stuttered in response to her glare. "But m-maybe that'll t-teach you not to g-g-go around here."

"Can it, Tazer," the young Water Toa huffed, flexing her body experimentally. Finding herself in somewhat good working condition, she began to crawl away, motioning for him to follow her. "We're just lucky she was too busy being a baby to notice you were there too."

Tazer winced at the thought and touched the red markings on his face. "W-we are not the best one for th-this job, Keorin. We st-stand out too much."

Keorin shrugged and continued her crawling, standing once she deemed they were far away enough not to get caught. "At least we're not Rowan or Lady Rave; now THEY stand out. Wish we had an Ice Toa or something. But yeah, we need to get home."

"D-did we find anything out?" he asked her as he followed. Sometimes it was hard for her to believe that he was actually the older one of the two; he acted so childish and unsure of himself.

"Not really...except that Katsu's gonna be participating again, which'll put a wet blanket on Lady Rave's plans. Maybe if we're lucky, though, she'll blow herself up. Wouldn't that be nice? Unless she blows Lady Rave up with her too..."

Tazer's shiver had nothing to do with the cold, she knew, and she quickened her pace. The sooner they were away from the madwoman known in some circles as the "Detonator", the better.

X x X

There was a small-ish rectangle of stone that Reha sometimes held in her hands and stared at, although none of the three youngsters in her care knew just what was on it that entranced her so. She would just sit there for hours, staring at the thing, until something better came up and distracted her (usually Zayu, her faithful Energy Hound), and it was unnerving at best. Reha was meant for action. Seeing her sitting there and staring at a rectangle of stone was just plain odd.

She was staring at it when Keorin and Tazer arrived back home, although when she saw the condition Keorin was in, shoved it back into one of the many pockets on the inside of her cloak and reached for the bandages they kept handy.

To their relief, she didn't yell at them this time, only questioned them about what they'd learned. That was another thing staring at the stone rectangle did to her - made her more understanding and less prying than she usually was. Strangely enough, Rowan, Keorin, and Tazer all found they preferred her normal self to this...more passive one.

"Did you find anything important?"

Keorin shrugged as Reha continued cleaning out the gash in her side, wincing a little. "Just that Katsu's participating again. Oh, and Macaber's gonna be the referee. That should even up the competition a bit; he won't let anyone do anything shady..." She stopped at the almost pained expression on her mentor's face. "...is something wrong?"

"No." Reha smiled, but it still managed to look painful. Perhaps she noticed this, because she grimaced a second later before putting on a much more convincing one. "Just remembering something. Now, would you mind explaining to me just WHAT you two were doing sneaking around the palace like that?"

Keorin exchanged a wry glance with Tazer before carefully thinking over her answer. They'd somehow managed to pull their mentor / caretaker out of her funk, but at the cost of interrogation and possible serious trouble. The current situation wasn't much of an improvement, but at least Reha was now acting like herself again. Sighing, she began to explain, wincing as a spark flew out of Reha's fingertip (landing painfully on her leg) at the story of Katsu's tantrum.

There had always been a certain rivalry between Katsu of Freezeheart and Toa Reha Ronal, even before that fateful day when Reha had electrocuted the female Frozen, incapacitating and thoroughly humiliating her in front of Freezeheart's nobility during an infiltration mission gone wrong. It had been only Macaber's timely intervention that saved Katsu's life, which explained her infatuation with him nicely. It certainly explained the way Reha's eyes would flame at the mere mention of the red-marked male. Had he not intervened, there would be one less psycho the rebel Toa had to deal with currently.

But Reha was smart. If anyone could figure out a way to somehow defeat Zyvus Koriseva, it was Reha, of that Keorin was absolutely certain.

X x X

Onewa was officially sure that the next few days (or however long it would be) at sea were going to Royally Suck.

The ship they'd been lent by the kind Matoran of Ga-Metru (it was amazing what a few smiles and charming words could do) wasn't the problem. If anything, the ship was amazing, and he actually was excited about spending time on it (although he couldn't help but be glad that his significant other was NOT going to be joining him - the woman was an absolute fanatic about ships and vessels of all kinds, despite the fact that she couldn't swim).

It wasn't the idea of traveling to a frozen wasteland and instating Vakama's naive troublemaker of a daughter as ruler. That thought daunted him a little, but not by much.

No, it was the fact that he was going to be stuck on a ship with five hyperactive kids (well...maybe not Jing or Aki, but certainly Matob, Eefera, and Nicole), along with their respective parents. It didn't help that each one had his or her own bloody annoying personality quirk - megaphone-loud, could-be-kleptomaniac, possibly narcoleptic, depressing, naive as a child - and it CERTAINLY didn't help that he was supposed to be teaching them along the way.

Ordinarily, he didn't mind having kids around him. They were annoying, yes, but at least he had his own little happy place - the carving areas in Po-Metru - to go to when he got frustrated with them. On the ship, there would be no such thing and VERY limited space.

"I hate this," he muttered as he carted another box of food up onto the ship and storing it away in the galley. "I never should've agreed t'go on this little adventure."

"Regardless, you DID agree to it."

Spirits above, he hated how Nuju always, always, ALWAYS seemed to know when someone was complaining and would accordingly pop up and act all high and mighty. "Buzz off, frost-face, I'm busy."

Nuju blinked at the new nickname, but otherwise didn't react to it, instead choosing to say, "You're holding us up, Onewa, so hurry. You know Vakama wanted to leave by this morning, and it's already past noon."

Onewa snarled. "Well, serves 'im right for not havin' the ship ready by this morning then, doesn't it?! No, instead he makes ME do it for him, just like ALWAYS!"

The Ice Toa closed his eyes and sighed. "Onewa, you OFFERED to help, even though Vakama told us to spend as much time as possible with our families. You have no one to blame but yourself here."

The Stone Toa's temper flared. "Listen here, you pompous--"

He was cut off by the loud shriek of, "GIVE IT BACK, YOU BLOODY PIRAKA!" and out of pure reflex roared out, "NICOLE, WATCH YOUR MOUTH!"

He heard an answering shout of, "SORRY, DAD!" before his daughter continued to chase after whomever had stolen something from her, and Nuju actually laughed a little.

"It's alright to be worried about them." the Ice Toa said quietly, and Onewa glanced at him. "I know, it just hit me too how dangerous this whole thing is, but we agreed to it, do not forget."

Onewa grunted. As usual, Nuju had managed to hit the nail dead on. "Yeah but what gets me right now is that they're...well, kids an' completely green behind the mask. I know I told Tay yesterday that we'd be there to protect 'em an' stuff, but we can't ALWAYS be there...y'know?"

Nuju shrugged. "They'll never stop being green unless they get some experience, Onewa, which this is perfect for. Besides, I doubt there will be too much...violence involved. It's essentially a non-hostile takeover, and Vakama has assured me he can successfully prove to whoever's over there that he was Pridak's student and heir. Stop worrying. It's not like you. You haven't worried like this since...well, just after Vakama was banished, actually."

"I had a lot to worry about then," Onewa grumbled at him. "I was tryin' to keep the team together, along with rebuilding the island, which, might I remind you, was not fraggin' easy."

Nuju surprised him by smiling. "If it makes you feel any better, we were all just as stressed as you were, although I understand your plight. But keep in mind that we pulled off a lot when we were 'green behind the mask', as you put it, and we all turned out just fine."

"Tch." Onewa snorted, although he too was smiling now. "You turned out anything but 'fine'."

The Ice Toa bristled at him. "And just what is THAT supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing...just that you can stop pretendin' to be all calm 'bout this, Nuju, it's foolin' nobody. Seriously."

"I AM calm, Onewa. I always am." He didn't mention that he had already done his freaking out the night before, much to Siahta's mixed dismay and amusement. Sayla had just been disappointed that she didn't get to go too, and Jing had fallen asleep watching his parents bicker. Not that anything else was really to be expected, to be honest.

Onewa snorted again. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Keep tellin' yourself that, Nuju."

The huff Nuju gave him was so regal and disdainful it would have put most royalty to shame, and Onewa stifled a laugh as the Ice Toa marched back down the ramp leading from the ship to the dock. King Ryoku, a friend of theirs from the war with the Dark Hunters and Xia, had often commented that Nuju was better suited to the aristocratic life than an adventurous one, and Onewa found he had to agree.

Although...he would have missed the snooty Ice Toa, as much as he hated to admit it. They'd been through a lot together, and bonds had been forged. Not to mention his home was an excellent place to hide for when Natay went on the war path. Several times, Onewa had found himself holed up in Nuju's house while Natay raged and destroyed anything she could get her hands on, courtesy of her Hordika temper.

Speaking of his bonded mate...the woman was insane. It was no secret that most of Metru Nui's inhabitants didn't approve of their bond, as they weren't exactly traditional about it. Natay's Rahi instincts let her consider him her mate after simply admitting she cared about him, and she had admitted to him that she didn't believe in marriage, hence why they had never formalized it. What did it matter? They cared about each other, they cared about their daughter, that was all that should matter.

Not that it stopped either of them from being jealous and possessive, though. Not by a long shot. The worst tantrum she had ever thrown was because she had found out about his close friendship with the Krahka before said Rahi had vanished in the Visorak war. He still counted himself lucky for having survived that one.

He sighed and looked at the orange shape prowling around on the dock, tail waving agitatedly. Nor was it any secret that Natay Hordika was NOT happy about her bonded and her daughter going away on a long voyage and leaving her all alone. She accepted that they needed to do it and that adventure was in their blood, but...

The sun flashed off her armor as she turned to look at him, and Onewa felt himself smiling at the almost forlorn look on her face, giving her a thumbs up. They would be alright. He and Nicole would come back, and Natay would be there waiting for them, like she always was.

X x X

Matob leaned over the deck railing, waving at her mother, Siahta, Natay, Whenua, Dume, and Sayla as the ship pulled away from the dock..._finally_. Now they were actually getting somewhere! She had been anxious to get going all day, finally being chased away from the loading process by her increasingly impatient father for being annoying.

It felt good to be out on open water. Yes, she had been on a boat before, but never away from Metru Nui. The only ones of the kids who had ever left Metru Nui were Jing and Eefera, both of whom were immensely grateful to be back home. Eefera had complained for about an hour the night before about being forced to leave again right after getting back...

She shook her head. There she went, thinking about Eefera again! It was starting to become a problem, and it certainly didn't help that Aki kept glancing at her and smirking whenever she went anywhere near the Storm Toa. Was there something wrong with her?

The aforementioned male was standing on the railing without a handhold, not even swaying. His balance was amazing, she marveled. Same with his dad, although her father and the other Toa Metru all teased Matau Metru about being an insufferable klutz. For someone with such good balance, he DID tend to trip over his own feet a lot, she thought with a giggle.

Eefera glanced at her when he heard her giggle, and she looked down, feeling her cheeks burning. There was definitely something wrong with her; now her temperature was even going up when he looked at her. To her relief, though, he merely smiled and looked back out at the island they were leaving behind.

What was it like for him, not having a mother? She had wondered this about Aki several times, but now she remembered that it applied to Eefera as well. From what she had heard, his mother had merely dropped him off at the island one day and left him with his father. Hardly the actions of a loving mother. It had to be hard, only having a dad. A father could only do so much, after all...

Deciding she needed a distraction, Matob wandered over towards the ship's control room, smiling as she heard the familiar sounds of her father bickering with Matau. Yes, her father was still a little shy sometimes around her mother, but he was so confident that it was hard to imagine him as the socially awkward, insecure Toa he had told her he once was.

"Matau, are you SURE you know how to read these coordinates?"

"For th'last time, firespitter, YES! Stop harassin' me already! I'll get us to this Freezeheart-a yours with no problems."

Vakama sighed. "That's what you said the day we crash-landed on the island, right before being turned into Hordika."

Matau bristled, obviously insulted. "If YOU wanna try to steer this thing, go right ahead!"

The Fire Toa held his hands up in a gesture of peace. "No, not at all. Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you, Matau. I should have kept my mouth shut."

"Finally, you admit it!" Matau rolled his eyes. "Does this mean I get to be captain now?"

Vakama gave him a light smack to the arm. "Forget it."

Matob giggled, her little problem with Eefera momentarily forgotten. Her father and his friends never failed to amuse or cheer her up. She smiled as she made her way back onto the main deck, murmuring and rubbing her eyes as the sun hit them straight on. Yeah, she'd be OK. What could possibly go wrong?

X x X

Zyvus Koriseva let out a breath as he stepped out onto the familiar turf of his homeland, feeling blessed cold wash over him at last. It was good to be home, no matter how satisfying this trip had been.

At his gesture, guards began pouring out of the ship after him, dragging the three prisoners with them. He was not surprised to see the big Vortixx snarling insults and threats and the red Rahkshi hissing in dismay, but it DID surprise him to see that the deep gray Hordika was not even awake. It didn't APPEAR to be awake, anyway, hanging limply from the arms of four guards as they carted it away and up the crystal path leading away from the docks and to the vehicle that would take them the mile to his palace.

It was good to be home.

He hadn't worried about things going wrong here; as much as he disliked Macaber's attitude towards him, he had to acknowledge that the younger Frozen was an excellent substitute. Very driven, very serious about his job. The country remained secure and under his control while in Macaber's hands.

Amoto stepped out behind him, a smile on his face and wiry frame practically quivering with excitement. Ah, twins. It was difficult for Frozen twins to be separated, hence why he always enjoyed separating Amoto and Macaber. It had always amused him to watch them fret and fuss about it when they were both still young, although they were better at handling it now that they were both several years into adulthood. Nonetheless, it was incredibly easy to tell just how relieved they were to be back together each time it happened. Macaber was downright nasty when separated from his twin, and Amoto grew twitchy and increasingly nerve-wracked as time went on.

"Excited to be home, Amoto?" Koriseva asked, and Amoto threw him a sharp salute, still smiling.

"Yes, sir. And to see my brother again."

"That's right, twin separation anxiety." Koriseva replied, pretending he had forgotten about it and hiding his amusement when Amoto looked troubled. He could practically hear Amoto wondering if he would ever keep them apart just for the sake of torturing them. No need to tell him that was part of the reason he had insisted Macaber stay behind.

It was a good way to control them. To show them just who was the boss, the master. Who held the whip, to use the layman's terms.

"Ah, yes." Amoto finally managed to get out. "It is...not pleasant being away from him."

"I wonder what will happen when one of you takes a wife," Koriseva said pleasantly, still playing oblivious to his second-in-command's increasing discomfort. "Will you get to spend as much time with him if you are occupied with a female? Or if he is?"

To his surprise and displeasure, Amoto merely shrugged a bit at this. "Well, sir, it's a natural part of life. And...we would still be living at the palace and working together, so it wouldn't be all that different."

For a moment, Koriseva debated whether or not he should discipline the younger Frozen for ruining his moment of fun, but decided against it. There was no time for that now, and there were other, more productive things to do. Such as get back to the palace and get the reports from Macaber.

"Feh," he snarled, and Amoto jumped, looking nervous. "Get in the vehicle and make sure those slaves don't escape."

He smirked as Amoto practically ran to do just that, obviously trying to control the tremors shaking his frame. That was one thing he enjoyed about the younger of the two twins: Amoto was so much easier to frighten, to rile up. Macaber was harder; the only time he had ever seen the older twin scared was when Katsu and Reha Ronal had fought. That was understandable; Katsu had been using an inordinate amount of explosives that day and indeed, had almost blown the palace courtyard up trying to kill the Toa Ronal of Thunder. He wasn't the only one who had been scared.

The only reason he put up with his surly third-in-command was because if he died, Amoto wouldn't be far behind. Not to mention his skills when it came to leading and business. As much as he hated to admit it, Macaber was one of the best leaders he had ever come across.

Although, this didn't worry him much. Macaber knew better than to try a takeover - he wasn't strong enough, and as much as the slaves seemed to like both twins and might rally behind them if they were asked to, they were still no match for Koriseva's legion of guards.

No, Amoto and Macaber were not a threat. He himself, on the other hand...

This year's tournament would be interesting to see, he thought with a smirk as he hopped up onto the vehicle and it took off for his palace. This year...yes, this was the last year the Council had agreed to wait for Pridak's return. After this tournament, they would have no choice but to give him the throne, and he would be King, no longer simply Regent.

But there was still his own need of a mate. The line had to be passed on, and he was getting older. His mind flashed to the only female who had ever struck him as strong.

Katsu, hm...but no. As much as he had to admit that he liked her rather _explosive_ personality, she was too volatile, too unstable to be Queen. He wouldn't put it past her to get angry with him and blow up the palace in retaliation.

The smirk on his face grew positively predatory as he thought of the only other candidate he could think of, and he ignored the caged Rahkshi's hiss of fear upon seeing it. Wouldn't it be absolutely ironic if _she_, the one most dedicated to his downfall, were forced to be the bearer of his line? She would never forgive herself for perpetuating his legacy, Koriseva knew.

Two Gukko birds with one stone, then. He had originally planned to get Reha Ronal to the final round of the tournament and simply eliminate her there, but now he had a much better idea for what use he could have for her. Not to mention the violet Toa was an excellent example of a female, and it would be SUCH a shame for her to die without knowing the touch of a male.

Plus, it would be satisfying to watch her reaction to being forced into being the bearer of his heir. Controlling her would be no problem at all, either; all he would have to do was threaten the lives of those pathetic children she took care of and trained, and she would do whatever she was told. And once he had an heir and she turned out to be no longer useful, he would eliminate her. Of course, should she prove to still have her uses, he might keep her around. That all depended on how she handled what would happen to her.

This tournament would end well, then. He would be King, and his line would be set in stone with a strong female like Reha Ronal.

It was set to be an interesting time, indeed.

X x X

"_Won't close my eyes  
And hide the truth inside  
If I don't make it  
Someone else will  
Stand my ground."  
--Within Temptation, "Stand My Ground"_

X x X

**AN: And so, Silarial's drama ends! ...or does it? No, that is NOT the end of her little...episode, and I assure you, she's not going to be able to get away with it much longer.**

**Katsu is my sister's character, and is surprisingly fun to write. She's a blatant nod to **_**Naruto's**_** Deidara, right down to her name, which literally means "bang". She'll be a big part of the story later, so prepare for more explode-y goodness. And she has a thing for Macaber, although he wants nothing to do with her. Zyvus Koriseva has decided Reha's worthy of being humiliated and having her life's work destroyed, and is determined to get her. They're just asking for drama, aren't they?**

**The next chapter will focus mostly on Matob and Vakama and all them, since this one was mostly to get a lot of ideas out of my head and on paper before I forgot about them. And I didn't write a big goodbye scene on purpose, because I hate long goodbyes. Plus, none of them really believe this is such a big thing. Far as they know, they'll go in, get some stuff done, and that'll be it.**

**Review me, please!**


	7. What Doesn't Kill You

**Alright. I demand that you go take a look at **_**Under the Ice**_** by skipperxotter. Right now. RIGHT NOW, because that fic expanded on my **_**Dirty Window**_** fic and I feel like DW actually makes SENSE now because of it 8D**

**Also, I sincerely apologize for not doing much of anything for so long. I got kind of caught up in **_**Transformers**_** and **_**9**_**, and it was hard to think of anything else for a while. And this section seems to be kinda...dying a bit. Let's pick up the pace, people! SHEESH! *shot***

**Disclaimer: Anyone you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me. Siahta and Sayla belong to **_**Sylla Shadowfrost**_**. Shay Moonsilk belongs to **_**Shay Moonsilk**_**. Nicole and Eris belong to **_**Arya-Metru**_**. Katsu belongs to **_**Kristine-sama**_**. Everyone else is property of LEGO Enterprises. "Stand My Ground" belongs to Within Temptation.**

**Summary: Years after the Shadow Wars, Matob, Vakama's daughter, is finally ready to accept the throne that her father denied after the death of Pridak. But no one ever said it would be easy to take the throne. A tournament for the crown is set up. The catch? Honor makes no appearance in Freezeheart's Regent Council, and in order to make sure Matob and her friends don't win, a series of some of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen is pitted against them. At the same time, runaway slave Rowan battles desperately for his people's freedom, risking all to prove that his parentage is the least of everyone's worries about him. Despite his initial shortcomings, he offers Matob his help, and together, along with Eefera, Aki, Jing, and Nicole, they are an almost unbeatable force. **_**I just know there's no escape now, once it sets its eyes on you. But I won't run; I have to stare it in the eye.**_** "Destiny is not who you are...it is who you can become."**

**A Path Well Traveled  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_All I know for sure is I'm trying..."_

* * *

It was hard for Matob to imagine being exhausted. Yes, she had a fairly hard training schedule with both her parents, and yes, it often left her tired out, but never before had she been so completely and bone-achingly tired in her life.

Even getting back to her room on the ship was a struggle. After what seemed to be an eternity, she finally staggered inside of collapsed on her bed face-down. "Ummmmfff..." she moaned into her pillow.

After a moment of staying still, Matob had to admit that staying still wasn't something she was able to do very well, and sat up with another groan. Her room was bare, which made sense she supposed - this was only a temporary thing. But it still made her uneasy. She was very centered on one place, and that place was home. Going away from home on a mission was always a bit hard for her; the lack of familiarity wasn't easy to deal with.

She sighed. This sucked. She was bored and restless, but was also too exhausted to do much other than sit there and think. And even thinking was getting a little difficult. If she were smart, she'd try to sleep.

But apparently she WASN'T smart, because her mind kept returning to that one simple problem that had been bugging her all week.

Eefera was...different. Of course he was, Matob reminded herself, they were both now eight years older. Eight years apart was a long time; plenty of time for him to change in several ways besides just height.

What about him was so different now that she felt...weird around him? She couldn't figure it out. Something about the way he smiled made her feel...good. She'd always loved it when people smiled, but Eefera's smile was different from everybody else's. Seeing it made her smile too, way bigger than was normal.

He was taller now too, and less reckless and hyperactive than before. When he left, he'd still been a crazy little kid. And now...

Now he was actually MATURE.

She flopped back down with a groan. Eefera, mature? Who knew that day would come? Maybe that was it, she just wasn't used to seeing him act so grown up. Well, for Eefera standards, but anyway...

Her thoughts returned to his parents. It was no secret that his father had once had a huge crush on her mother, although as far as anyone could tell, that was long over and done with. Yet, how must that have felt for Matau? To watch the person he liked fall for someone else? And then for the only other person he'd liked to leave him so cruelly?

For the first time, Matob found that she really appreciated Matau Metru's ability to bounce back from seemingly any problem. Despite all the pain he must have gone through, he'd still managed to provide a good home and upbringing for his son. And he'd done it alone, too. How would he have done had Eefera's mother stayed? How different would things be then?

And it was the same for Aki. Matob, though often labeled as a ditz, was perceptive enough to know that the older girl was very rarely truly happy and did her best to change that fact. The lack of a mother in her life must have been so painful as well.

It really hit Matob just then how lucky she was to have the life she had. She had two parents, both of whom loved and adored her. She had good friends, a good lifestyle, a good family, a good environment to live in, good...everything. Very little in her life had ever gone wrong.

_I wonder if that's made me a little spoiled...?_ she wondered. _Maybe I should try to think more about other people for once..._

* * *

"Sometimes," Onewa said through gritted teeth as he pulled on the steering wheel of the ship, "I'd like to shoot your mother's legs off."

Nicole laughed. "She'd pick them up and beat you with them if you did that. And then make you reattach them."

"Don't remind me," her father grunted. "If she could see me now..."

If she could see him now, she would be laughing her tail off at him and shouting at him that he should have taken her advice and studied more about boats in general.

Well excuse him if he didn't plan on being a sailor. He was a CARVER. Well, and a Toa, but he had never exactly said to himself while growing up, _"Hey, I think I wanna be a Toa!"_ or _"Yeah, I wanna be a sailor!"_

Whereas Natay had been born and raised around boats. The residents of Mahi Nui, her island of origin, practically worshiped boats. Something about how boats allowed people to travel to distant places with ease. AND she had been a Ga-Matoran, albeit a Ga-Matoran who was afraid of water. There was a rather unfair advantage that she had over him by that simple fact.

Natay was weird. He'd gotten with a weirdo. Funny how such things kept happening to him.

"If she could see you now," Nicole continued his sentence, "she would be laughing and telling you you're an idiot."

All she received for this one was a glower and a snooty harrumph, making her laugh again.

* * *

"So you see, it's much better to be on the ground."

Was she finally done droning on about how the earth was better than the air? She was? OK, good. Eefera stifled a yawn and smiled, patting Aki on the shoulder. "Right then. Thanks for the advice, I'll make sure t'remember it if it ever comes down to it."

Aki snorted. "That's a lie; you don't remember ANYTHING unless it has to do with training, food, or Matty." She smirked as his violet mask paled. "Yes, I know about that, Eefera. It's glaringly obvious."

"That...that was years ago." Eefera mumbled, bringing his hands up to hide his face, which was suddenly tinged with red. "I don't like 'er anymore, I swear--"

The Earth Toa snorted again. "As if! You still like her, doesn't he, Jing?"

The aforementioned Ice Toa stared down at her from his position in the crow's nest, looking bored and sleepy. "What?"

Aki sighed. "Just say 'yes' and go back to sleep."

Jing shrugged. "Yes."

She turned back to Eefera with a triumphant smile. "So THERE, even Jing agrees with me!"

"And what is it that I just agreed to?" the Ice Toa asked, only to be waved off.

"Alright, alright, so I still like her!" Eefera snapped, standing up and pacing nervously. "So what? Not like she's ever gonna notice, is it? Karzahni, if I screamed it in her face she probably wouldn't know what I was talking about!"

Aki smiled at him again, superiorly. He HATED it when she got that look on her face; it usually meant she was planning something. And that something wasn't always good. "So she's a little clueless. Doesn't mean she doesn't have her own feelings, you know."

Eefera shrugged, completely missing the point of her sentence. "So? If she doesn't notice, what's the point of it?"

"What if she DID notice?"

He stopped a moment, then his eyes narrowed again. "Takes two to tango, as the saying goes."

Aki facepalm'd. From the crow's nest, she heard Jing begin to laugh. "And if she's ready to tango?"

Eefera blinked. "Wha...what?"

"I'm saying she likes you, you idiot!" Aki snapped.

For a moment, he almost grinned, and she felt her heart clench at the joy on his face. And then it dropped, and he scowled at her. "Cut the crap, Aki, it's not funny. I know perfectly well--"

"No you DON'T," she cut him off as well as if they'd rehearsed it. "And I'm telling you she likes you, so just LIVE with it already. Or don't, it's not my love life."

The Storm Toa looked completely lost, and she snickered at his confused face. "But...why hasn't she said anything yet?"

She snorted again. "You think she knows? That girl's as clueless as they come. I wouldn't suggest going up to her and saying you know her secret though, that'll scare her off."

"So...what do I do?"

"Be casual about it. Drop hints. Be subtle, but not TOO subtle, because you know it'll go right over her head. In general just...be there. Be yourself and all that stupid stuff."

Eefera scowled. "You're saying I have to wait indefinitely for her to realize it?"

Aki smiled. "You really love her, then that's what you're gonna have to do."

"Mata Nui," Eefera shook his head and sat down hard on the deck where he and Aki were supposed to be mopping. "Why'd I have to fall for the most clueless person on the island?"

"I'd imagine not just on Metru Nui," Jing called down dryly. "She is possibly the most clueless person in the whole Northern Hemisphere."

Aki intervened before the violet Toa could get any more distressed than he already was. "Look, Eefera, it's not going to be hard. She's halfway there to realizing it, she just needs a little push in the right direction. Do it right and you two will be just fine. But let me catch you flirting with anyone else while you're there, and you're DEAD," she snapped, and was gratified when he actually cowered a bit. Height differences be damned, she was going to get through to him if it was the last thing she did. "I won't have you breaking her heart."

"Unlike a certain someone else's?" Jing asked, then ducked the scrub brush she hurled at him in retaliation.

Before Eefera could ask whose heart he had broken, Aki cut in again. "Right, so that's that! Don't worry, we'll help you, WON'T we, Jing?" Jing nodded, ducking again when she turned to glare at him.

Why she was doing this, the Ice Toa was unsure. But to his relief, she was acting normal, if not slightly more chipper than usual. As long as she was getting over her own infatuation and was alright with it, though, he supposed it was just fine. Poor Aki. It would be nice if that girl had some sort of happiness for once, although it looked as though she were doing much better in that department lately.

Perhaps the effort she was obviously putting into forgetting her own infatuation was paying off? If so, then good.

He looked back down when Eefera laughed and flicked some mop water at the Earth Toa causing her to shriek, and smiled. The Storm Toa was grinning as usual, but the news that Matob liked him (even if she herself didn't know it yet) had obviously delighted him once it fully sunk in. His grin was much wider than normal, and his own happiness was confirmed when he threw all caution to the winds and grabbed Aki, dancing her around the deck and laughing.

Jing smiled. They were all that age, he supposed. Even himself...he grimaced. Love was just one of the many things he considered too much to bother with, although his father had told him several times that once it hit you, you never recovered. He shuddered at the thought of that ever happening to him.

Knowing his luck, the woman he chose would be a complete and total busybody, and would probably run him ragged, cutting all his precious relaxing time right off. He was mourning it all already, and it hadn't even happened yet!

Deciding it was better to worry about that when it actually happened, Jing leaned on the railing of the crow's nest and stared out into the horizon. The sun was setting, causing the sky and clouds to go pink and red and gold and orange in the process. The ocean took on a golden hint where the sun hit it. It was one of the few sights he could honestly say he found beautiful.

He doubted he would mind Freezeheart when they got there. Any place with the word "freeze" in its name couldn't be all that bad. Nice and cold, he was willing to bet. And he thrived in the cold, as all Ice Toa did. He did, however, wonder about the inhabitants. Would they be willing to accept Matob? Heck, were they even friendly? Surely after all this time they would have had another leader. What if this leader wasn't willing to accept someone coming in to take his place, even one that had the Northern King's official seal of approval?

It was a possibility, and one he had been mulling over for a while now. What if fighting was required? He hoped not. Fighting was annoying and troublesome, as his opponents never seemed to have any merit as a warrior. Sure, Rahi gave him trouble on a regular basis, but when it came to other intelligent beings...they almost always had a fatal flaw just waiting to be exploited.

_I'm getting ahead of myself,_ he sighed mentally. _Nothing is going to happen. We'll get there, put Matob in, and be done with it. And that's all that is going to happen. How boring..._

He was interrupted in his thoughts by Matau striding out of the control room and yelling, "Chow time, kids, come an' get it!" and banging two pots together. A shout of, "Matau, you bring those back RIGHT NOW!" followed him.

The Air Toa grinned as Eefera finally let Aki go. "Go get Matob an' tell her it's time for dinner," he instructed, and Eefera rocketed off to go do just that. "The rest of you troublemakers, hurry up!"

Sighing, Jing climbed down the ladder, all the way to the deck as Aki wrestled the pots away from the loudly protesting Matau. It was a little weird to know that you were more mature than some of the adults around.

* * *

Back in her cabin, Matob was awakened by a knock on her door. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. _When did I fall asleep?_

"Come in!" she yelled, and the door opened. Her pulse jumped when Eefera poked his head in and grinned at her. "Dinner's ready, Matty, so hurry an' get some!"

She smiled and got up, dashing past him. "Beat you there!" She laughed when she heard him pounding after her and increased her speed, although she knew it was fairly pointless. Even without a Kakama, Eefera was extremely fast, much faster than she was. It was probably the fact that he was taller than she was, though not by TOO much.

She couldn't say why she had the sudden urge to tease him, but it was there and it was too good to pass up.

As she expected, he beat her to what her father and Matau had fondly designated as the mess hall (although it was little more than just another cabin), although she wasn't expecting him to turn around suddenly and catch her as she barreled straight into him at full speed.

He let out a gasp as she smacked into him, but then began to laugh and spun her around a few times before putting her back down on her feet. Matob blinked confusedly up at him, but he merely laughed some more and patted her on the head. "Nice one, Matty."

"Wha...what was that?" she asked, pulse jumping again. He was acting REALLY weird all of a sudden. Like...happy. Well, he was ALWAYS happy, but this was WAY happier than usual. He looked _delirious._

Eefera's grin widened, although he shook his head. "Can't tell you, Aki's orders."

Matob frowned, suddenly worried. "Why not?"

He shrugged. "She jus' said I'm not allowed t'tell you. But I WILL tell you one thing." He winked at her then, and she actually gasped. "I know your secret. Make what you will of THAT."

And then he was off, loping towards the platter that Nuju had piled high with dried food and bottles of water. Matob blinked after him, one hand unconsciously pressed to her chest to calm her racing pulse.

What...what was THAT? What was he talking about, he knew her secret? What secret was he talking about? Matob didn't KEEP secrets...

There was definitely something going on here, and obviously she was not privy to the joke, she decided with a huff as her father beckoned her over to him with a call of her name.

"Hi there - what's wrong?" Vakama asked as his daughter walked over to him, her usual bounce not present for once.

She frowned. "I think Aki and Eefera are playing a joke on me."

Vakama chuckled. "So wait it out and plan your revenge."

She giggled a bit at that. "But...Eefera says he knows my secret. But I don't HAVE any secrets!" She waved her arms a bit for emphasis. "Even if I DID have one I wouldn't be able to keep it!"

Vakama caught her left hand as it strayed dangerously close to his plate and held it, smiling. "Want me to ask what's going on?" He already had a fairly good idea, but just to be sure...

Matob nodded, looking fairly miserable. "Yes."

"Alright." He chuckled a bit again and patted her on the head. "Go eat something, you look half-starved."

Suddenly remembering how hungry she was, Matob dashed away towards the food and began to pile her plate with dried meat and whatever the heck else it was that Nuju had put. Vakama found he couldn't keep from grinning as she attempted to glare at Eefera, who was grinning at her, but fell miserably flat.

Was he that awkward around Nokama? The answer was yes, he was forced to admit, but surely he wasn't that clueless about it. Then again, Matob was a special case. She'd realize it for herself soon enough.

And when she did, THEN he would start worrying, because that would mean that his daughter was finally growing up for real. He stifled a laugh at the thought. No matter how old she got, she would always be crazy little Matob to him.

* * *

Matob got to the table where Jing, Nicole, Eefera, and Aki were sitting just in time to catch the ends of a VERY interesting conversation indeed.

"I'm just sayin'," Nicole was saying, "anybody who dropkicks a bloody ZOMBIE deserves a medal. Am I right or am I right?"

Jing shrugged. "It wasn't a zombie, it was a...a thing. And it was going after my father, so what did you expect me to do? Let it go?"

"How about use your powers?" Aki asked. "I wouldn't have let that thing touch me if I were you."

"Technically it was ME touching IT, but I see what you're saying." Jing conceded. "And, just between you and me, it was disgusting. But don't tell Father - he thinks it means I'm finally getting motivated about something for once."

"Yeah, like THAT'LL ever happen!" Nicole laughed, and he grimaced at her.

Matob sat down with a smile. "What's going on here?"

"We're reminiscin' about the good ol' days!" Nicole informed her cheerfully. "I still say the most awesome moment was when my mom chased my dad around with a chair for telling her she couldn't dance."

Aki snorted. "YOU'RE certainly in a good mood right now."

The power screamer nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, that I am! What about you, did you have a good day?"

The Earth Toa shrugged. "Eh, spent the day with Jing and Eefera, and it's been pretty good since."

"You spent all day with Jing and Eefera? Pretty hard to go nowhere but up from there," Nicole agreed, ducking when the Storm Toa tossed a spoon at her.

"At least I can control the volume of my own voice," Eefera snorted, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

The Storm Toa raised a brow at Matob, who was staring at him, and she looked down, her face reddening slightly. He smiled. It seemed what Aki and Jing had told him really WAS true. Now if he could only figure out a way to help her realize it...knowing Matob, that wasn't going to be easy. Matob noticed nothing that wasn't blatantly obvious, and Aki had told him to be subtle for the most part.

Which meant he had his work cut out for him, but right then, Eefera couldn't have cared less. This was the girl he'd been in love with for most of his life. He could wait a little longer.

Grinning, he reached over and poked her, holding a piece of fruit out to her. "Want some?"

She took it with a smile. "Thanks. What is it?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. It was just there, so I decided to try it out."

Matob laughed, taking a bit out of it. "Hey, it's actually pretty good! But with YOUR dad, I thought you might be a little more careful with food? He has some pretty...ah, _interesting_ ideas about what makes a meal, you know."

Eefera shrugged. "Living with my dad's built up my constitution pretty good. I am proud to say that if I had to, I could survive off a sack-a flour."

She laughed delightedly at this, and he found himself laughing with her. Mata Nui, but it felt good to make her laugh. It was one of the things that was sure to give him an ego boost, no matter how he was feeling at the time. Right about then, he was on top of the world.

Across the table, Aki smirked. If things continued this way, they would be just fine. And she could get on with her life instead of putting all her energy into forgetting her own crush. She was relieved to discover that it was rapidly fading as the days went on. And who knew, perhaps she'd find someone in Freezeheart who was worthy of her.

Doubtful, but possible. She snickered at the thought of it.

* * *

It took Siahta a while to find her bearings with her son and husband gone. When she awoke each morning, sure enough Nuju was already up and gone to the Knowledge Towers or on surveillance duty or to Dume's office, where he would be assigned a new mission. It was odd knowing that she had slept alone the previous night, but even odder knowing that she was the first one up for once.

Moving quietly through her family's home, she stopped outside her daughter's room, peering in. As expected, Sayla was still asleep, as it was quite early - the suns had barely risen yet. She smiled. It amazed her how both her offspring managed to look innocent and vulnerable in their sleep, although the exact opposite was true in real life.

She worried about Sayla though. The girl had yet to develop her powers, unlike her older brother, who had displayed his own at the ripe old age of five months. Eight years old and with no elemental power was not good for a Toa, although Siahta remained certain that the girl was simply a late bloomer. She'd gain them in time.

Her thoughts drifted to her mentor and foster parent as she made her way outside, snow crunching beneath her feet. How was he? Was he safe? Was he even alive? That was the million widget question, she had to admit. Malvado was strong, but was he strong enough to survive whatever this "Ninian" person was doing to him?

A frown crossed her face. That was the other thing worrying her; just who WAS Ninian? No one she had ever heard of, that was for sure, and her research into the subject had thus far yielded no results. Then again, many of the distant lands were still relatively unknown. And perhaps he was a renegade, a rogue slave trader? The only island she knew of that still practiced the slave trade was, well, Zakaz, along with whichever island Sidorak had come from, although she didn't remember the name of it. Nor had she recognized the species. He had looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place just WHAT he reminded her of.

It was all very frustrating...

She had to go to Fere Nui. Perhaps some more clues could be found there about Malvado's kidnapping and this mysterious "Ninian". Anything would be useful at this point. The only problem was going alone, something she didn't want to do. The place was far from hospitable, and even Malvado had said that, unless you knew the turf, venturing into it alone the way it was now was suicide. Plus, she'd be leaving Sayla alone, which wasn't an option.

Perhaps she could take the girl with her...no. Sayla had no powers, she would be unable to defend herself should something happen. Siahta had been to Fere Nui once before, some years ago when her son was only eight, to help Malvado with intruders who sought to take a treasure rumored to be buried somewhere in Fere Nui's underground. Although the intruders hadn't gotten the treasure (which turned out to be nonexistent) and things were alright in the end, she still remembered the twisted, deformed monsters that had lurked in the mist, bloodthirsty and always ravenously hungry.

(That Jing would even go near those things was surprising, but go near them he had. Although, admittedly it had been only to deliver quite the dropkick to one that had been about to chow down on his wounded father...)

That her old mentor would WILLINGLY live there by himself was shocking to her, but to each their own...and Malvado was happy there. He was tough enough to handle practically anything on his own...

Anything but those mysterious kidnappers, it seemed.

And that voice! Even the VOICE of the kidnapper was familiar to her. But how could that be? She was certain she'd never seen or heard of them before, and it was maddening.

Never in her life had Siahta Tora felt so useless. Her foster parent was suffering and far away from home, and she couldn't even get a lead on where he might be. Except for when...no, she'd felt useless and helpless before, against the horror known as Shinoda Tora, who had been on the same Toa team as her real parents. And who had murdered them and everyone else on the island. She'd felt more than helpless when faced with him.

But Shinoda was dead, had been for years, and she wasn't a little child any longer. Siahta set her jaw determinedly as she made her way to the Chutes, and from there, the Archives. More research was needed. She WOULD find a clue if there was one to find in those dark, dusty hallways, and when she did...she'd go and rescue Malvado as she knew a Toa was supposed to do.

* * *

A ship had landed at Freezeheart's dock.

As was expected of them, Macaber and Amoto went out to greet it, talking amiably as they made their way from the palace to the docks, both immeasurably glad to be back in each other's presence. Already after only one night the effects were showing - the demeanor of Macaber, although nearly always surly, was much less turbulent, and the tension in Amoto's shoulders had begun to lessen considerably.

This wasn't to say that they didn't have their problems. One thing Macaber had always disliked about his twin was that Amoto was such a _worrier_, always pestering about something or other...in particular, if he would ever take a mate.

"It would relieve your tensions, I'm sure." the wirier of the pair said as they continued down the path, slightly ahead of his brother. "Someone to confide in besides myself. And to be there for you when I'm not - believe me, brother, Lord Zyvus will separate us many more times in the future."

"He has done so consistently in the past," Macaber replied grumpily. "And we've always survived. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Amoto shook his head despairingly. Of anyone in the palace, he was the only one who could truly say he knew his brother, and even then, he knew he didn't know everything about him. The subject of romance was one Macaber was famous among the nobility for avoiding, despite having been chased by more than one female on several occasions. But Amoto was perceptive, and he knew his brother. "Don't avoid the subject. It would be beneficial for one or both of us to take a wife, particularly you. Your demeanor would improve greatly from it, I am certain."

His twin glared at him, and he smiled. "There's nothing wrong with my demeanor." Macaber snapped. "I don't have time for such trash."

The younger of the twins merely shook his head, saying, "That is unfortunate then, because I have heard several females commenting on how a match with you would be most..._electrifying_." His smile widened as his brother whirled to face him, the red markings on his face paling noticeably.

"What did you just say?"

"Oh, nothing," Amoto said casually, striding ahead. At times like these, he was glad he had been chosen as second-in-command over his brother, unfair though it might seem. Being of a higher rank meant he got to go in front during their business excursions. Not to mention he got to order Macaber around on rare occasions, being his superior officer. When Macaber's ego was deflated enough to accept orders from anyone besides Zyvus Koriseva, anyway.

He stopped as he felt his brother's hand clamp down on his shoulder, and suddenly, Macaber was in front of him, blue eyes burning into his own with intensity that would have frightened anyone else. "You said something," Macaber snarled. "Now explain yourself."

Carefully, Amoto pried his twin's hand off of himself. "Just that you're not nearly as good at hiding things from me as you would like to believe," he said with another smile, and before Macaber could interrogate him further, he had set off on a power-walk for the dock where the ship had landed.

As he had expected, the owner of that ship was already on land and waiting for him to appear, although something inside of him twisted nervously when he saw them. A female, a red and black Toa with what he recognized as a Kanohi Avsa on her face. He grimaced. Great Mask of Hunger, oh joy...if they were lucky, she wouldn't drain the life force out of everyone in the palace.

"Name?" he said authoritatively, stepping up to her. Although he dwarfed her by more than half a foot, he couldn't help but feel a little cowed as she smiled back at him.

"Eris Itami," she said, her voice dark and low. He honestly shivered when she said it, although Macaber remained indifferent. "I'm here for the tournament."

"You're in luck," he managed to get out through the nervousness flowing unchecked through him. "We still have several rooms available."

"Are you the only one competing?" Macaber asked suddenly, and Amoto could have struck himself. He'd forgotten to ask if she had a team or was a solo competitor...he couldn't help it, though. She was terrifying; the biggest urge in his body right now was to turn and run for his life. How Macaber was managing to stay so calm was a mystery to him, and he found himself drawing strength from his brother's presence.

The Toa known as Eris Itami turned her terrifying smile on the older twin, who nearly twitched, imperceptible to all but his brother. "That I am." she said easily. "And I'll take you up on the offer of a room, thanks."

Amoto nodded. "Right then. Right this way, please..."

"Not yet." Macaber snapped, and Amoto stopped. His brother was glaring suspiciously at Eris, and he felt his heart drop. Things had been going so well up until now. None of the contestants had caused a problem, but this one had hardly arrived and already Macaber was on edge with her. So was he, he had to admit, but still.

"There's no way you could have crewed that ship by yourself," Macaber continued, "it's way too big. What happened to your crew?"

Eris's smile widened, and this time, Amoto felt the flinch that went through his sibling's body in full force.

"They are...indisposed now that their usefulness is gone," she said, and for the first time, he noticed that her hands were not meant to be such a dark red coloring. Anger rose in his throat, rendering his vocal cords useless.

Macaber twitched again, eyes narrowing. "You murdered them? How many of them were there?"

Eris shrugged. "I didn't bother to count. And none of them were any use as warriors anyway, I prefer to work on my own. Or at least with beings of worth; none of those fools could be considered 'useful' except for when it came to getting me here." She failed to mention how she would navigate home, although Amoto had the strong suspicion that she knew perfectly well how to get away from there. Anyone with such a cunning gleam in their eye would have memorized the path and any escape routes, he was certain. His fist clenched.

Macaber didn't take his eyes off of her, but motioned for her to get moving. "Let's go. And don't let me catch you pulling any of that in the palace. I'll kill you faster than you killed any of them, let me tell you."

Eris merely shook her head. "What makes you think their deaths were fast?"

The Frozen didn't speak again, merely gave her a kick in the back to get her moving. To Amoto's surprise, she just chuckled and began to slowly make her way up the path and back towards the palace, a mile away. He exchanged a glance with his twin, and knew they were thinking the same thing.

Just what were they dealing with here?

* * *

It surprised absolutely no one when, immediately upon entering the palace, a blur of white tackled Macaber, almost knocking the big Frozen to the ground. Dutifully, Amoto beckoned to Eris Itami to follow him to go meet with Zyvus Koriseva and left his increasingly irate brother to deal with the white pest that was steadfastly refusing to let go of him.

He shuddered. He didn't envy Macaber on that front, having attention from KATSU of all people. Both brothers had had multiple invitations from various nobles and even from commoners, but neither had seen fit to take anyone up on these. Certainly not on Macaber's end when it came to Katsu, who was less than subtle with her infatuation.

"Would you like to wash?" he asked Eris, who nodded. In response he led her to the nearest washroom, letting her clean her hands and armor off while he waited outside. Once she reappeared a short while later, he grimaced.

Time to meet Zyvus Koriseva and see what HE thought of this Eris. With any luck, he would tell her to get the heck out and never come back. It disturbed him just how much he hoped this would be the case.

To Amoto's relief, his boss was in a state that could best be described as "relaxed", and he announced himself before making his way into the room and bowing, followed by Eris.

"Sir, this is Eris Itami. She is here to compete." he said, and Zyvus Koriseva raised a brow as he looked upon her appraisingly.

"Itami, huh?" he asked. "There was a Dark Hunter with that title once, a long time ago. But they're all dead now. Any relation?"

"She was my mother," Eris replied, and Amoto stared at her. Daughter of a Dark Hunter? She had failed to mention this, although he had also failed to ask, he supposed.

"Hn." Zyvus grunted. "Father?"

That smile that the younger Frozen already hated so much was back on her face. "Shinoda Tora."

THAT got Zyvus's attention, and he was suddenly on his feet. "Shinoda didn't have a daughter," he snapped.

Eris shook her head. "I assure you that I am his daughter. I have the blood to prove it, not to mention the...personality." She smiled again, and both Frozen could immediately see the resemblance between her and the corrupt Fire Toa who had once torched an entire island for power.

Frowning as suspiciously as his third-in-command had not an hour earlier, Zyvus sat back down at his desk. "Assuming you ARE his daughter...how do I know you won't pull any of his antics while you are here?"

She shrugged. "You don't. I won't bother giving you my word since I know you won't believe it, but the decision is entirely up to you. I'm here for the tournament. Not just to murder wantonly. Accept me or don't, I don't care."

"Sir--" Amoto began, but before the word even left his mouth, he saw that the battle was lost. Zyvus Koriseva was interested, and there would be no dissuading him.

"Alright then," the older Frozen said, though with a smile to match hers on his face, "you may compete. However," he snarled, "you'll be under surveillance. I'll only tell you once: don't try anything."

Eris smiled sweetly. "Understood."

He looked back down at his paperwork, which Amoto knew to mean they were dismissed. Throwing his boss a salute, he quickly led Eris out of Zyvus's office and to the halls which were reserved for tournament contenders. Throwing a couple papers for her to fill out at her, he then made as dignified an exit as he could to get back to his own work.

Never in his life had he been so glad to get away from someone before.

* * *

The same might have been said for Macaber, except that he had yet to shake off his annoyance, having stormed back outside in an attempt to get away from Katsu, who still clung to him like a barnacle. The only thing keeping him from eliminating her was that a) she was a tournament contender, b) she was Zyvus's favorite underling, and c) he had noticed the pouches on her belt, no doubt filled with explosives, and had no desire to be blown sky high any time soon.

If those three complications hadn't been present, though...

It was made worse by the fact that the slaves and everyone else in the palace were watching, some even peeking out of windows to observe him running from her for the millionth time. He could literally feel his standing with them going down. He caught the eye of one slave and was surprised when he was offered an apologetic smile, but then turned his attention back to the problem at hand.

Katsu was annoying, that was for certain. When he compared her to any other female, he merely abhorred her even more. Especially when his brother and virtually everyone with any standing (with the exception of his boss) was pestering him to find a wife. But he had long ago decided that such things were beneath him; after all, if you're going to be stuck with someone for the rest of your life, why not make sure it's someone you can at least tolerate?

Or actually had feelings for...

"Get off of me!" he snarled, flailing wildly and growling when Katsu only held onto him harder. "I have work to do, and I can't do it if you're clinging to me!"

"I don't care," Katsu told him, and he had to restrain himself from drawing his blade and running her through on it. "You're always working, you don't have time for anything else--"

"And with good reason," Macaber snapped. "I'm the best officer the boss has got, and I gotta do my job or nothing ever gets done around here."

She rolled her eyes. "Zyvus won't care if things grind to a halt for a LITTLE bit, will he?" she asked, poking him in the chest.

Her grip had slackened as they talked, and he took advantage of this to throw her to the ground. She hit the snow with a grunt, but before she could move a muscle, the tip of a blade was at her throat.

She looked up into cold blue eyes. "Get this through your thick skull," Macaber snarled. "I don't want you. I don't like you. I don't even TOLERATE you, not even at the best of times. I despise you, so if you're smart, you'll find someone else to stalk from now on."

"Oh?" she asked, as if she didn't have a sword point at her throat. "I suppose there's someone else who's caught your eye then?" She almost laughed; it was impossible to imagine such a scenario - if he didn't like her, then he didn't like anyone else. She was sure of that. If he DID, the girl in question would have long ago been dead.

Macaber regarded her for a moment before re-sheathing his blade. She waited for him to offer her a hand up, but he didn't. "Perhaps there is," he said quietly, and she froze, heartbeat seeming to stop from shock.

And then the explosion happened. "WHO IS IT?!" she screeched, throwing herself to her feet and grabbing his shoulders. She shook him hard, screaming, "WHO IS IT?! TELL ME!"

Disgustedly, Macaber pried her hands off of his shoulders. "Who I take an interest in is none of your business," he said coldly. Throwing her one last disdainful look, he strode back off towards the palace, leaving her standing in the snow.

A chuckle burst out of him at the loud and enraged scream that burst from behind him, and it was with good humor that he made his way back to his quarters for some private time. Now that Amoto was back, his workload had lightened considerably, although he still had a fair amount to wade through. But right now, there was no work for him to do, and he intended to enjoy it to the fullest.

The smile slipped from his face a thought occurred to him. Although predictably Katsu would stop pursuing him for a while in favor of trying to find the mysterious female he had implied to have feelings for, what was he going to do about the situation? His "declaration" had been public - doubtless, he was going to be swarmed with questions from various nobles and servants about it.

A snort burst from him as he shut the door to his room and gazed about. Romance was never on his agenda, and he doubted it ever would be. It was useless; why bother tormenting yourself about it when there were other things to be done? Watching Katsu chase after him day in and day out only confirmed this viewpoint.

But despite this, he found his pulse picking up speed when he pictured that form, fierce eyes staring back into his with frightening intensity, daring him to come closer and pick a fight.

He'd never seen eyes like that before, such ferocity, such determination in them.

The novelty of free time was beginning to wear off, Macaber thought with a disgusted grunt. It gave him too much time to think, for his thoughts to wander. He had no use for such frivolous thoughts. At the end of the day, the only people who mattered were himself and his brother. No one else.

* * *

"_I will always stand my ground."_

_--Within Temptation, "Stand My Ground"_

* * *

**AN: Hm, you can tell I was losing it there a bit, can't you? Oh well, now that I've gotten all that romantic tension crap out of the way I can start on the GOOD stuff. WOOT! Macaber and Amoto are a lot of fun to write together. I can tell they****'re probably gonna end up as my favorites later on xD  
**

**I promise the real action will start soon. I know this fic is progressing kind of slow - chapter seven and anything has yet to really happen! o-o;  
**

**K, I'm gonna go back to listening to Queen now ("Bohemian Rhapsody", yo). If you don't mind, could you review? Suggestions for Tournament contenders and everything else are more than welcome. :)**


	8. Don't Stand So Close To Me

**Holy Jesus, 27 pages? That's more than I thought this would turn out to be...not complaining though 8D**

**Also - go see **_**Princess and the Frog**_**. Even if you don't like the movie itself or have a problem with Disney or something, the animation is reason enough to go see it. Seriously.**

**Disclaimer: Anyone you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me. Siahta and Sayla belong to **_**Sylla Shadowfrost**_**. Shay Moonsilk belongs to **_**Shay Moonsilk**_**. Nicole and Eris belong to **_**Arya-Metru**_**. Katsu belongs to **_**Kristine-sama**_**. Everyone else is property of LEGO Enterprises. "Stand My Ground" belongs to Within Temptation.**

**Summary: Years after the Shadow Wars, Matob, Vakama's daughter, is finally ready to accept the throne that her father denied after the death of Pridak. But no one ever said it would be easy to take the throne. A tournament for the crown is set up. The catch? Honor makes no appearance in Freezeheart's Regent Council, and in order to make sure Matob and her friends don't win, a series of some of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen is pitted against them. At the same time, runaway slave Rowan battles desperately for his people's freedom, risking all to prove that his parentage is the least of everyone's worries about him. Despite his initial shortcomings, he offers Matob his help, and together, along with Eefera, Aki, Jing, and Nicole, they are an almost unbeatable force. **_**I just know there's no escape now, once it sets its eyes on you. But I won't run; I have to stare it in the eye.**_** "Destiny is not who you are...it is who you can become."**

**A Path Well Traveled  
By: Saya Moonshadow**

"_Stand my ground  
I won't give in  
(I won't give in)  
I won't give up  
(I won't give up)  
No more denying..."_

* * *

_I wonder if Rahkshi count as Rahi?_ Silarial wondered tiredly as she flung her rag at yet another of the little pests for walking about on the floor she had just cleaned. _They're certainly rowdy enough...would I be able to use Rahi Control on them if they were?_

At times they reminded her of the Zyglak, but in a more...carefree, innocent way, if that were even possible. Both species were hated and feared throughout the world because of things that were out of their control. But whereas the Rahkshi were companions, the Zyglak terrified her. She would never forget coming across a tribe of them in the underground recesses of Voya Nui whilst exploring shortly after she had been exiled there. Lucky to escape with her life, she had vowed to never go down there again.

Even a Makuta had to be careful around the Zyglak.

Then again, it wasn't their fault. They had been created and then shunned by their own creators. That pain was what had made them so bitter and hateful. It was yet another reason Father's Plan had to succeed - to prevent that from happening again. The Brotherhood of Makuta found use for each one of their creations, whether as guardians, soldiers, or anything else that could be thought of...Spiriah had been an isolated incident, and he was rightly expelled from the organization.

Rising onto her knees, she shouted, "Alright, that's enough! Either use flight mode, or get out! You're ruining my work!"

They merely stood and stared at her for a moment, and she glared harder. It was at moments like these that she wished she could do the eye-color-change thing her father did whenever he was angry. Red eyes were bound to make her much more frightening than the light blue she'd chosen at the moment of her creation. If only she'd had the foresight to predict such predicaments as these...!

Then again, she'd chosen blue out of a sort of compulsion to do so. What had influenced her color choice she was unaware of at the time; all she knew was that it was the one she wanted as her eye color. Unconsciously she'd set that as the color, and then opened them to meet the face of the being she had immediately known to be her creator and, by that same fact, father. It had been with happiness that she'd noticed he had the same eye color that she had...

But blue eyes or not, she had to admit that she was simply very un-intimidating. Her armor was too small, and her overall shape was too soft and feminine to really inspire fear into any creature that looked upon her. Even her mask, an under-powered version of her father's Kraahkan, was of almost no help. Although, she also had to admit that this was partially due to the fact that the vast majority of beings she'd met (outside of the Rahkshi and Visorak) were much more powerful than she was. Certainly Vanisher had been afraid of her those two decades or whatever ago when he had been their spy in the Dark Hunters.

The Rahkshi stared, and she stared back. "Well?" she growled. "Hop to it! I won't tell you again!"

More staring.

"_I mean it!"_ she hissed in their language. _"Go, or Icarax will be wondering why these floors have big Rahkshi-shaped footprints all over! And believe me when I say that I'll have no trouble in telling him that it was because of you guys messing around when you aren't even supposed to be inside in the first place!"_

She was gratified when, as one, the thirteen or so Rahkshi that had been running around all leapt into the air, converting into their flight modes. No matter what, Icarax was one of those beings that it would be a BAD idea to anger.

"_You just want an excuse to tell on us,"_ the purple one called Xefonirahk grumbled through a hiss.

"_More like just wants an excuse to talk to Sir Icarax,"_ the red-and-gold Chamelerahk snickered, and they all burst into hissing laughter. Silarial felt her face heating up with anger and a very large amount of embarrassment.

"That's a lie!" she shrieked. "I don't want OR need an excuse to talk to ANYONE!"

"_Awh, c'mon, Sis!"_ Lerahk snickered. _"It's so obvious..."_

She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed. "It is NOT," she said crossly, "because it's not true. The only one here that I hold affection for is Father."

She was forced to back up into the wall as the Rahkshi suddenly surrounded her, all hissing their dismay at those words. _"You mean you don't like any of us?!"_ Xefonirahk cried. _"You don't even like your own siblings?!"_

"_That's harsh, Sis,"_ Meteorahk scolded.

"_Yeah, cuz we've been awesome to you,"_ Lerahk added.

"_And we keep you informed on what everyone else's doing,"_ Mentorahk supplied. _"Without us, or should I say ME, you would be out of the loop!"_

Silarial forced their anxious snouts out of her face and shoved them away, where they spun into each other, hissing and shrieking more words of melodramatic anguish. "By 'the only one', I meant the only MAKUTA I hold affection for is Father!" she snapped over the din. "You all should know that!"

She added over their delighted hissing, "And what would it matter, anyway?"

"It matters," said a new voice, "because Master has ordered us to watch over you, and we would like some appreciation for our efforts. You are not easy to keep up with, you know."

It was Shadrahk, Rahkshi of Darkness and Makuta Teridax's so-called finest creation.

Silarial frowned at his words, although she allowed him to clank his staff against her hand in greeting. "Is that why these buffoons have been following me around all day? They're my 'honor guard'?"

"In a sense, yes," Shadrahk nodded. "Master has noticed you seem to be troubled as of late, Sister. He is concerned that you may not be as useful as you might be otherwise as a result. Therefore, he has employed us to watch over you for the time being."

Her frown deepened. "I'm grateful for the concern, but it's really not that necessary. I'm fine, Shadrahk. And don't even THINK of trying to read my mind!" she snapped at Mentorahk, whose staff had begun to glow. Accordingly, the Rahkshi of Mind Reading backed down with an apologetic hiss. "I am fine," she repeated in a slightly calmer voice to all fourteen Rahkshi now surrounding her. "Nothing is wrong."

"Sir Icarax seemed to think otherwise," Shadrahk said. "Two days ago he cornered me outside to inquire of your whereabouts."

She laughed nervously. "Oh, that was because I'm kind of on cleaning detail right now, and he thought I might try to get out of it."

"_Not an unfounded concern,"_ Chamelerahk supplied, avoiding the rag she threw at him with a grin.

"Hmm." Shadrahk frowned but obviously chose to accept her words for the time being. "Alright. By the way," he added, flying a little closer to her, "he wishes for me to tell you that you will start on cleaning his quarters today, as soon as you are finished with this hallway."

Silarial went pale. "But - but--" she stuttered. "I don't even get a break?! He didn't give me a time frame before, and I--"

"I don't understand it either," the Shadow Rahkshi sighed, "except that perhaps he simply wishes for it to be over and done with. Nonetheless, you had better hurry up and finish in here. Would you like some assistance?"

Despite being the most rational of Teridax's many creations and knowing it was illogical, he felt an upsurge of satisfaction at the Voya Nui Makuta's relieved expression. "Yes, that would be nice, Shadrahk," she said. "Thank you."

"The pleasure is mine," he replied modestly, then hissed at his brothers, who sprang into action immediately. They began to fly around, grabbing up the cleaning rags Silarial had been throwing at them earlier and flying downwards to scrub at the floor with relish, hissing to each other all the while.

Silarial herself nearly gave into the temptation to go slower and prolong the time before she'd have to go and clean up Icarax's room, but resisted it as best she could. Shadrahk was right, the sooner this was all over and done with, the better. She couldn't deny, however, that she was extremely nervous at the thought of being alone with the Karzahni Makuta. Who wouldn't be?

He was big, mean, and badtempered. And had a habit of letting everybody else around him know it at all times.

Unfortunately for Silarial, the Rahkshi's help made the cleaning go much faster and two hours later she was hauling her sponge, bucket, mop, and rags up to Icarax's room, dragging her feet as she walked. It felt like she was going to her own execution, she thought sourly.

Routine cleaning. Nothing big. Right. Get in, pick everything up, mop the floor, get out. Absolutely nothing to worry about.

* * *

_Knock. Knock. Knock!_

_Knock._

_Knock._

"HEY!"

The shouted voice jolted Icarax out of the doze he was annoyed to realize he'd been in for the last several minutes, and he growled when he realized who it was.

"_Maybe he's not there?"_ a Rahkshi's hiss came.

"No, he's in there." said the first voice. "I can hear him moving around." She pounded on the door again. "HEY! Open up, I want to get this over and done with!"

_Stupid little brat,_ Icarax thought angrily as he threw the door open, revealing the small form of the Voya Nui Makuta and a green Rahkshi. The Rahkshi hissed apologetically and backed up, but Silarial merely gave him a rather forced grin and held her supplies up. "Maid service?"

He rolled his eyes and beckoned her inside as Lerahk scampered away. "Get to work. And don't make too much noise, I've got stuff I have to concentrate on."

"Pushy," she muttered, but he paid her no heed and sat back down at his desk. For several minutes there was no sound besides that of the mop on the floor and the rustle of paper as he waded through the daily reports from the other Brotherhood members. Once she forced him to get up so she could reach under his desk and wouldn't let him back near it until the water had dried, but other than that, neither of them spoke.

Icarax looked as he always did when around her, bored and annoyed when forced to acknowledge her existence, but otherwise ignored her. Silarial, on the other hand, was very aware of his presence, and found herself glancing at him way too often for comfort.

It felt so odd to be here, in his room, alone with him. She wasn't stupid, she knew what tended to happen when a male and a female of the same species were left alone with each other, although she knew almost nothing of the specifics. Her sole source of information was Gorast, who derived a certain vicious pleasure in making the younger Makuta nervous. Stories of rough, painful couplings, again with the real details thankfully left out, surfaced in her mind, and she felt her temperature rising a bit.

Had Gorast gone through that kind of thing at one point? As much as she disliked the Tren Krom Makuta, she hoped not...

No, she decided. Gorast would kill anybody who DARED to try such a thing on her. Most likely those stories came from watching the lesser creatures of the world...plus, none of the male Makuta left alive had showed that kind of interest in Gorast. And, she had to admit that anyone doing that with Gorast was likely to be the one in pain, not the other way around.

_I wonder if he would...?_

Before the thought could finish, Silarial chided herself. This wasn't the place for such musings, certainly not around a creature whose mind-reading power was much more powerful than her own. She'd feel it if he tried reading her mind, but even so, it was better to keep her thoughts clean and give him nothing to raise an eyebrow ridge over should he try it.

Clean thoughts. Clean thoughts. Clean thoughts.

Those eyes, acid green and piercing...

Clean thoughts. Clean thoughts. Clean thoughts. Clean thoughts.

Hands that would literally engulf her own...

Clean thoughts. Clean thoughts. Please keep thinking only clean thoughts.

_Nothing past the hands,_ she scolded herself. Even that was going too far for her liking. And it wasn't like those hands would ever touch her, anyway, except to grab her arm when...

When she needed a hole in her hand healed, apparently. He'd been careful with her then, but...

Those shoulders, so wide...that big frame, capable of turning the most worthy adversary to dust...

Then again, he'd also touched her when he was dragging her out of Mutran's lab, although that was more violent contact than anything. He'd thrown her into a wall ten seconds later, so that didn't really count.

Clean thoughts...

She dipped the mop into the bucket again, wringing it out harder than she had meant to, and began to clean the last bit of floor, over by his bed.

She had avoided that area till then on purpose; it seemed wrong to trespass in such a private place as someone's bed, even though all she was doing was cleaning the area around it. And that posed another question; how often did Icarax sleep, anyway? As far as Silarial knew, she was the only Makuta who needed to do so on a somewhat regular basis, although she also knew that Chirox liked to do it just for the pleasure and extra energy he derived from it. _Nothing like a nap for recharging the spirit,_ he had told her once. _Now get outta my laboratory and let me sleep._

His bed certainly LOOKED largely unused, she decided. It was dusty. She'd have to clean that next, although she staunchly refused to wash the sheets. That was HIS problem; she'd beat the dust off the top layer, but that was all she was doing.

* * *

Icarax looked up for a moment when he heard the rustling of her removing the top sheet from his bed, frowning. "What are you doing? Put that back."

"I'm getting the dust off," she replied. "It's filthy."

He rolled his eyes. "Pardon me if I don't waste time with such frivolous activities as obsessively cleaning specks of dust off my sheets."

She ignored him and whipped the sheet around. Dust flew off of it in clouds, making him shield his face. A dismayed cry met him when he finally looked back up, and he grinned.

Dust had gotten all over the floor again. "Nice one, stupid." he snorted, turning back to his paperwork.

"Shut up," Silarial grunted, replacing the now-clean sheet back on his bed and stomping over to the mop and bucket once again. Luckily for her, the dust had mostly settled in her general area, and she was able to clean it within minutes, glowering all the while.

At least she was almost done and thus out of his room, Icarax thought. Her presence was making him edgy. If only she would stop glancing at him so often. He was used to having weaker creatures stare at him, he did cut a powerful image after all, but she was just putting him on edge. It felt weird to have her constantly glancing at him like that, almost as if she were afraid of him.

He also wasn't oblivious to her increased temperature, which was likely a byproduct of her nervousness. Whatever, it was just one more thing that annoyed him, having that practically overheated body so close to him.

He shifted in his seat, wincing and growling a bit when he heard the unmistakable whine of rusting joints grinding together. A tune-up was definitely in order, although when he would get it was a mystery. He was too busy for such things--

"Um...are you OK?"

Her voice was soft and hesitant, and when he looked at her, she took a step back. She was still clutching the mop so hard her fingers were making small grooves in the metal handle.

"It's nothing." he replied. "I just need a tune-up. Get back to work."

"I...I can do it." she said, ignoring the last part. He started at this, staring at her incredulously. She flushed a bit, bowing her head for a moment before straightening back up. "Chirox taught me how before Father sent me to Voya Nui, just...just in case something happened and I needed to fix myself. So if you want, I can tune you up..."

"Don't put it like that," he interrupted, and she frowned, confused. "That makes it sound dirty."

Silarial flushed again, much darker this time. "I-I'm s-s-sorry," she stammered. "B-but I can help you...uh...I can give you a t-tune-up if you want..."

To his surprise, Icarax found himself considering the offer quite seriously. If he allowed her to do it, he wouldn't have to go seek out Chirox later on, and it would be done in the privacy of his own room, not in the annoyingly nerve-wracking confines of the silver and black Makuta's lab, where anyone could just walk in and see what was going on. Then again, Chirox was a professional, whereas Silarial was not. What if she made a mistake, as she was prone to doing every other moment of her life?

She squirmed a bit under his scrutinizing gaze, obviously wishing she'd just kept her mouth shut and not said anything. Stupid kid...

The deciding factor, however, came when he shifted again and felt something in his left arm beginning to give way. This couldn't wait much longer before it started to become serious. If she messed up, he would kick her into next week and then go to Chirox to get it done properly, but for now, he would just take the risk.

"Fine," he said finally. "Just get it over with."

For a moment, Silarial stared at him, as though she had misunderstood him. Then, she nodded and approached him cautiously. "Um...do you have any tools?" she asked timidly.

He pointed to one of the drawers of his desk, and obediently she scrambled to open it and extract the contents, which looked as though they hadn't seen the light of day in centuries. "Um...where should I start...?"

Icarax snorted. "I don't know, where do you THINK you should start?"

She didn't answer, but instead moved closer to him, taking his arm and scrutinizing it. "You should have had a tune-up a long time ago," she said after a moment. "Much longer and you would have been a walking heap of rust." She picked up the wrench now lying on his desk and began to loosen his elbow joint with it, oiling it thoroughly.

"I oil myself on a regular basis, though it's been a while since I last did it," she said absentmindedly as she re-tightened the joint and moved to his shoulder. "It makes everything run smoother, faster."

He shifted uncomfortably when she stepped around him to get to his back, working her fingers into the joints to check them with unnerving precision. Even now he could feel himself beginning to slump a little bit from what she was doing.

"You're pretty dirty, aren't you?" she asked, wiping at him with one of her previously discarded rags. "I've never seen so much of it in my life on one being before."

"You have to stop it with the unintentional dirty talk," Icarax growled, and she gave him a confused look before continuing. But it wasn't until she got to his chest that he became REALLY uncomfortable.

Up until then, he had merely passed it off as just being un-used to having other beings touch him as much as she was doing. But when he actually shuddered a bit when she worked her fingers into the plating of his chest, he realized something was wrong. She glanced at him for a moment, an amused sparkle in her eye at his twitch, then went back to what she was doing.

Having those hands traveling around his frame was NOT supposed to feel good.

But it did, and he tried to suppress another shudder as she pressed her fingers deeper into him, getting at the dirt that was clogging up his armor and causing him to rust. He noted with increasing disinterest that she was using the water from her mop bucket to clean him, but that didn't matter right then.

"I never knew you were ticklish," she remarked suddenly.

"I'm not," Icarax snapped, glaring at her and twitching a bit when she ran a finger down his chest to test for more dirt.

"Then why...?"

"That's none of your business," he growled out, and she flinched, going back to her work with a will.

He grunted a bit when she dug into his lower chest hard, loosening the metal plates and re-oiling them, then wiping the excess off with surprising gentility. This was getting hard to stand.

Why did she have to be so weird, he asked himself. Whatever he had been expecting from this tune-up, it wasn't for her to be so soft and gentle with him, nor for her hands to feel good as they touched him. Chirox's tune-ups were always uncomfortable, yes, but at least then he knew what to expect.

This was just plain disconcerting, especially when he realized he hadn't taken his gaze off of her the entire time she'd been in front of him.

Such a small, soft body, built to reflect femininity and speed. She was fast, he knew, and was built to be so. He'd caught her racing about at top speed more than once in the two thousand years since her creation that he'd known her. She'd been nothing more than a blur at the time.

He could still catch her if she ran, though, he knew. There was no way she could get away from him. If she were to bolt right now, he'd still manage to find and capture her, regardless of the tricks she used. She would fight him, but even that wouldn't be enough. He'd still get her in the end.

So wrapped up in his own thoughts, Icarax was completely unaware that Silarial's hands were traveling even lower, and thus let out what sounded suspiciously like a yelp when her hand landed where his leg connected to his torso. He jerked, almost falling out of his chair, and Silarial jerked too, although could not move away from him as she wanted to - as soon as she'd touched him, he had reached out on reflex and grabbed her wrist.

"I-I'm sorry!" she gasped. "I didn't mean to startle you!"

He glared at her, then slowly released her hand and nodding slightly to allow her to continue. This was a mistake, as he came to realize a moment later. If having her hands in the contours of his chest plate was hard to handle, this was twice as difficult. Luckily she was avoiding the areas she knew were bound to set him off on a murderous rampage, but oh spirits she was still much too close for comfort.

Strange...he'd never had such a reaction to anyone, male or female, before.

Stupid, he thought. She was just a stupid little girl who just happened to have gentle hands as they worked into his frame. Mmph, that one felt good...

Horrified, he checked himself a moment later. Felt good? Felt GOOD? That kind of thought wasn't acceptable. There were better things to do than sitting there and enjoying the feel of her hands, like...like finishing those reports still sitting on his desk. Somehow, they seemed less important than before all of a sudden.

* * *

"Mmph..."

Startled, Silarial looked up, but the black-and-red Makuta wasn't paying any attention to her. His eyes were closed, and his mouth drawn into a tight line, but otherwise he seemed strangely...relaxed.

What was that sound he had just made? If she didn't know any better, she would have classified it as a moan. Which was stupid, because this was Icarax, and Icarax did not moan. Might have been a grunt of discomfort then, she mused, and used the wrench to loosen his knee joint.

Except that his posture was too relaxed. When SHE was in pain, she stiffened up, although she'd long ago learned that the other Makuta all tended to react to things differently than she did. That was another thing; did he even realize he had made the sound? Sure didn't SEEM like he did, but...

If he had and was just messing with her, she was going to kill him, because that was exactly the kind of thing he would do. He was always tormenting her in some way about SOMETHING, her attachment to her father, the Rahkshi, her small size, her weakness in comparison to the other Brotherhood members, practically everything. It was a wonder he had yet to make any other snarky comments besides telling her to stop the "unintentional dirty talk".

When had she been talking dirty? Really! It was his own fault if he derived too much from a simple innocent sentence.

Gorast had once told her to watch her back, as males were always thinking about such things. Whether this was true or not was debatable, but judging by Icarax's reaction to a few simple words, it seemed to be truer than she had originally thought.

Absentmindedly, she reached up to scratch at her mask, and frowned when she felt something warm brush off on it from her finger. Oh...the oil. She was covered in it, along with the general grime from cleaning Icarax's armor off. A wash was in order as soon as this was over.

A hand landed on her face a second later, and she jumped, still kneeling in front of him, fingers digging into his knee in surprise. There was no real expression on Icarax's face - if anything, he looked bored again - but he was touching her. And not in a violent way either.

"You have oil on your face," he said, wiping it off with his thumb. For a moment, neither said anything, merely stared at each other, she with mixed shock and embarrassment, and he with...something completely unidentifiable. Why did he have to be so unreadable?!

His fingers were lingering on her face. Subconsciously, Silarial felt herself leaning into them, heating up again.

Her movement seemed to knock him out of whatever funk he was in, for he jolted suddenly and his hand dropped back to his side, where he clenched it so hard she could hear the newly cleaned joints whining in protest. "Just...just hurry up," he muttered, looking away.

"A-alright."

Neither of them spoke while she moved onto his other leg, although he shifted uncomfortably when she again touched where his thigh attached to the torso. That was understandable though, she supposed. She was uncomfortable being touched there herself. What wasn't understandable was him TOUCHING her like that. Not that it had felt bad or anything but...

Clean thoughts. Do not think about touching in any way beyond neutral, nonviolent contact.

Ugh...and he said SHE was weird? If anything, HE was the weirder one of the two. She just wished she could lower her temperature back to normal, it would be one less reminder of how completely embarrassing this all really was.

Finally, she was finished. Relieved to the core, she clambered to her feet and backed up to scrutinize her handiwork. "I can actually tell you've got red coloring now," she teased a little, laughing softly and earning a sour look from him.

But he really did look better now that he was clean. And now that his joints weren't grinding together from all the dirt and rust, she added mentally. "How do you feel? Did I miss anything?"

"Just down there, but I can get that myself later," he replied, standing up as well and gesturing to aforementioned area. She flushed slightly when he did so, but managed to force a smile. "OK, good. Um...you're welcome."

Icarax raised an eyebrow ridge. "I didn't say 'thank you'."

Silarial rolled her eyes. "It was a reflex, OK?" She turned to leave, but was stopped by the hand that grasped her upper arm suddenly. A strange jolt went through her at the contact, but she managed to keep the flinch minimal and instead stared up at him with wide, nervous eyes. "U-um, what...?"

"You're filthy now," he said, plucking one of the cleaner rags from the pile sitting on his desk. "If you go downstairs like that, you'll get it everywhere and it'll be more work for you. Stay still for a minute."

"I...I can clean myself," she said as he reached for her with the cloth. "I am perfectly capable..."

Clean thoughts. Dear Spirits, _clean thoughts._

She wasn't even in the mood to make a pun about how thinking dirty would reflect her current outward state.

"I'm aware of that," Icarax said. "But you'd have to teleport to get to the cleaning room without getting all this filth everywhere, and in case you forgot, you're still powerless."

"So why can't YOU teleport me there?"

He rolled his eyes. "I can't just snap my fingers and make you appear somewhere; I'd have to go with you. And I refuse to embarrass myself on the off-chance that someone else is in there right now and will see us and get the wrong idea, so hold still and let me finish."

"Wrong idea?" she muttered as he wiped at her arms with the cloth. The urge to fidget was almost unbearable.

"What do you THINK they'll think, hm?"

"...that you're making me take a bath?"

He sighed. "No, stupid, that I'm going to take one WITH you."

"But why would you do that?" He had to resist the urge to facepalm at this one.

"Just...never mind, Silarial." he muttered and ran the cloth over her shoulders.

The shiver she gave when he did this was strangely pleasing, as was the sudden increase in her recently lowered temperature. Why he was even doing this he didn't know. She WAS perfectly capable of cleaning herself, so why did he give into the urge to do it for her?

Cleaning her hands was odd as well - they were so small compared to his. His hands practically engulfed hers as he cleaned her oil-covered fingers off.

Once again she had managed to get stuff on her face, and he moved to that next. How odd that she wore a copy of the mask her father wore, but again somehow softer and sweeter-looking than Teridax's. He was honestly having a hard time thinking of her wearing any other mask but that one. It just suited her. Her eyes, already wide with nerves and confusion, widened further when he brushed his fingers against her mouth, but he paid it no heed. Her lips had parted in a small, silent gasp under his fingers, and he found the sight strangely...appealing.

Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ little girl, he thought, jerking his eyes away from her warm face, and down to her oil- and grime-spattered chest. She squirmed a bit when he ran the cloth over that, but stopped when he glanced at her. Good. So she was just as uncomfortable as he himself had been when she'd done it to him. It was good to know he wasn't the only one.

She outright flinched when he got to her thighs and tried to pull away, but before she could get any distance apart from him, he had grabbed her arm and dragged her back. "Relax, I'm not going to do anything," he snapped. "I don't have a death wish, you know."

"Funny," she said breathlessly. "The way you challenge Father, I would never know."

Icarax frowned but let it pass. That was unimportant. Infinitely more important was the way she was nervously locking her knees together, and he had to kneel and literally pry them apart to make sure he'd gotten everything down there, sliding his cloth-free hand behind her thigh and pulling her closer as she tried to back up--

Her hand on his shoulder jerked him out of his reverie, although he didn't let go of her leg. Obviously he'd almost knocked her off balance with that little tug. No big deal.

At some point while cleaning a stubborn spot of oil on her right lower thigh, he became aware that she was much closer to him than he'd originally intended, but didn't let show how uncomfortable it was making him. He could deal with it easily. It didn't matter.

Even kneeling like this, if he were to straighten up he was willing to bet he'd STILL be at least her height, or close to it. Whose bright idea had it been to make her so tiny in comparison to everybody else? She was just barely taller than the Rahkshi she liked playing with so much.

This spot was really starting to get on his nerves, he thought with annoyance, redoubling his wiping efforts. Letting go of her other leg, he grasped the still-dirty one right at the knee to keep it still, as she was suddenly shaking all over, and--

She practically fell on top of him all of a sudden when his index finger accidentally slipped into the back of her knee joint and pressed, making it give way. One arm encircling his neck, the other hand grasping his arm, which was suddenly wrapped around her waist, she stared at him with wide, frightened eyes, and he stared back, unable to look away. Green to blue.

What should he do now? He couldn't move; he was much too shocked. Too close, Spirits above, the girl was way too close to him right now. Heck, she was on top of him, clinging to him for dear life! Her face was so close he could see every little detail and knick in her mask.

Her lips parted suddenly, and he clearly caught the whispered, _"Clean thoughts!"_ before she closed it with a snap, obviously still too shocked to do anything. Clean thoughts? What was she thinking about?

He could find out. He WOULD find out. Reading her mind would be a piece of cake, no problem. And if she felt it, then whatever. At least he'd finally know what was going on in her head.

There was a certain taboo attached to reading the mind of another creature who had the same ability, and most naturally avoided doing it. Indeed, among the Makuta race it was considered the height of rudeness, and was only done in the case of extreme emergency. Even then, the one whose mind had been read was likely to carry a grudge for the next couple millennia.

It wouldn't matter in the end if she hated him for it either. It wouldn't.

He pierced her mind a split second later.

Unprepared for the mental attack, Silarial slumped even further, head coming to rest on his shoulder and her legs on either side of his hips, and Icarax gave a small growl when she bit into his shoulder out of pain. But none of that mattered, because her mind was a whirlwind of half-finished thoughts that, strangely, all seemed to be centering around him.

_Those hands--_

_That frame--_

_That voice--_

_That face--_

_Those eyes--_

_Clean thoughts, don't go past the hands, please think only clean thoughts, ow my head hurts what is he doing to me?!_

_I must think only clean thoughts..._

Just what on earth was she THINKING about?! And why was the thought of her having to remind herself to do it so exhilarating all of a sudden? If he tried hard enough, he could see the things she was trying to suppress. How tempting...

* * *

It was hard to move. No, she COULDN'T move, even if she had had the mental presence to consider doing so. Her head pulsed painfully; someone was digging into her thoughts, and she couldn't do a thing to stop it. Once again, she just wasn't strong enough, but even the usual disappointment that came with the realization of that wasn't present.

Beyond the pain, there was a strange exhilaration, the oddest happiness she'd ever experienced. His arm around her waist literally _burned_; she was surprised her armor hadn't melted yet.

"Kuh!" she gasped out when his grip on her tightened, and she tried to pull away. Still too weak. She fell forward again, groaning as the pain in her head increased. Her mind...he was reading her mind!

Horrified, Silarial stopped her efforts to get away and began re-concentrating them on saving her privacy. If he saw what she had been thinking about before, she would never survive. It wasn't just the humiliation, although that was pretty big too. If he knew just how she had been thinking about him, she was pretty sure he just might decide to eliminate her.

And...there, an opening!

Icarax was an intelligent being, but even he wasn't impervious to some things, and the excitement of the moment was one of them. He practically _ached_ with it, she could tell, but although his exhilaration was bringing hers up as well, she had to get out of there before anything else happened.

So wrapped up was he in exploring her mind, his grip on her had slacked and the pain in her head had lessened. Good, she could think somewhat coherently again...

Icarax wasn't prepared for the fist that slammed itself into his chest, nor for the foot that crashed down onto his head a second later, and he was giving a roar of pain as the black, silver, and blue creature he had been holding not a minute ago bolted for her life, completely forgetting her cleaning supplies in the process.

_That little-!_

The urge to chase her was strong, even as the door slammed behind her. He could still catch her, still force an answer out of her...

But for what? What about her innermost thoughts was so important that he had to chase her down just so he could know what they detailed? Well, they DID concern him, after all, but - Spirits, _no._

For now, he had to deal with the embarrassment of the fact that she had gotten him admittedly...excited. VERY excited, if his current adrenaline levels were anything to go by. Oh, but the thought of chasing her and pinning her down was so appealing right now...

To...to force an answer out of her. For nothing else than for the answer of _what she was thinking about him_. Nothing else, because anything else was just...stupid.

_Isn't armor supposed to be unresponsive?_ he growled mentally as his body flexed naturally at the thought of having her in its grasp again. After all, she would probably run again at the mere sight of him. He'd have to grab her before she could move and then immobilize her somehow so she wouldn't be able to punch him again. That was the second time now that she'd both punched AND gotten away from him in the same action.

He had to get those thoughts out of his head. They were doing him no good, and if Teridax ever found out, Spirits forbid...he was dead. Completely and utterly dead. Heck, he'd be lucky if the Brotherhood leader didn't decide to read Silarial's mind himself to find out what was wrong with her and instead end up with the details of their little scene a moment ago.

Perhaps a wash WAS a good idea after all. It'd give him time to think, and he needed to get the feeling of her body on his out of his system right away.

That was more important than anything else.

The next second, he was in the cleaning room and stepping under the cold water.

* * *

_You are shaking._

Silarial jumped at the voice, making its owner give a brief smile before he materialized out of the shadows of the hallway she was traversing. A smile split across her own face as she recognized him. "Vamprah."

He nodded to her, as usual speaking in telepathy. _You are shaking, young one. Why is this?_

She squirmed uncomfortably. "No reason..."

_You are lying,_ Vamprah said disapprovingly, and she flinched again.

"Umm...well I had to clean Icarax's room and he was being..."

The blue Makuta waited for her to finish her sentence, but when she didn't, he suggested, _Strange?_

She nodded. "Y-yeah. Just really...s-strange."

He shrugged, falling into step behind her as she began to make her way outside to check on the Rahkshi. _Strange for other creatures is normal for Icarax. He has always been so, even at our creation 90,000 years ago. You should pay no attention to him or his actions._

The day was dark and overcast, as it almost always on Destral, which was a relief to the blue Makuta. Silarial, on the other hand, found no problem in the sun and the light it brought. This was yet another black mark against her, Gorast had gleefully explained once - a normal Makuta of true power would despise the Light for contrasting so strongly against their natural Shadow. The one element the Makuta race did not possess...

The Voya Nui Makuta shrugged as well. "I don't usually, but he's been weirder than usual lately."

_Define "weird",_ Vamprah said, and narrowed his eyes when she visibly squirmed.

"I'd...really rather not, if you don't mind. You were right before, it doesn't matter."

She got no farther, as Vamprah had reached out and grabbed her by the arm. This in itself was odd for the silent Makuta, as he never touched anyone unless it was to hurt them, but the look on his face terrified her. "Did he touch you?"

It was the question she feared the most right now, and she had no way to answer it without making things seem even worse than they had been. And he had actually spoken! Not telepathy, but actual speech! "I...I made him let me give him a tune-up, and then I tripped and fell on him. That's it, I swear..."

Vamprah snorted, pulling her towards him and bending over a bit to glare at her. "And what did he do?"

She swallowed nervously, although there was no need - Makuta did not breathe, did not need to eat in the primitive sense of the word. It was a useless, natural reaction, brought on by two thousand years of watching the Matoran of Voya Nui go about their daily lives. "H-he did nothing." she stammered. "I...I jumped off of him and ran away before anything could happen."

Which was SORT OF true, because she HAD gotten away from him before he could read her mind...she just hadn't elaborated on the "anything" that might have happened if she hadn't gotten away. Luckily he hadn't asked her just WHY she'd forced Icarax to let her give him a tune-up...letting that out had been a mistake as well. Icarax didn't let anyone force him into ANYTHING; that he had allowed it to happen this time was weirder than anything else that had happened.

"Please let me go now? Please?"

Vamprah stared at her for a moment longer before seeming to realize how close they were. He dropped her arm immediately and stood up straight, eyes now fixed on the dunes ahead. _Hm. As you wish._

She could not help but give a sigh of relief at this. Whatever little fit that was, he was back to normal now. Most certainly a relief if there ever was one. But what was it all about? Makuta generally didn't care about each other except for the fact that they were all of the same species. Other than that, whatever happened between any of them was free game, short of killing.

"If you don't mind my asking, though," she said without thinking, "why do you care?"

Vamprah paused for a moment, his face blank as it usually was, and she began to worry that he would take offense to her question. Then, _I was assigned to watch you when you came back._ He smirked faintly when she groaned at this, another guard?! _If I allow someone to...do anything to you, then I will have failed in my duty, will I have not?_

"I guess," Silarial grumbled, and that was that. She'd have to see about talking to her father about this, because it was honestly getting ridiculous. She may not have been the strongest of the Makuta, but she was still a Makuta and was still perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She'd done it for two thousand years, after all.

So he'd been watching over her for over twenty years now then? And she'd never noticed...then again, Vamprah wasn't called the Master of Stealth for nothing. When he didn't want to be noticed, it took a very skilled being indeed to notice him. Then it made sense, then, she thought, that he always seemed to pop up when things were about to go bad.

The week after she'd arrived, while she was still recovering from having her armor split open by the Cataclysm, she'd gotten into a bit of a spat with Gorast. The Tren Krom Makuta probably would have killed her had Vamprah not popped up out of seemingly nowhere at the last moment and dragged her off after saying something to Gorast. And he was also the one who had taken on the job of tracking her down whenever she went to the caves to explore with the Rahkshi. She admitted privately that she had turned it into a sort of game by then; how fast could he find her this time, and could he figure out the traps and puzzles she left for him to decipher?

He usually did, and with almost frightening efficiency. Only twice was she forced to show herself to him, and not in the last fifteen years. So he was not only the Master of Stealth, he was also the Master of Tracking. No wonder her father favored him so much.

When they reached the dunes, Silarial took off through the Visorak that milled about the place and ran straight toward the small group of Rahkshi that had conglomerated near the entrance to the caves. Vamprah stayed at the head of the dunes, simply watching. Not that she had expected anything else, really, he never was one for games. If he knew just how much of a game she had made his tracking into lately, he'd probably quit doing that too.

Such a stick in the mud...

The next time she looked up, he was gone.

* * *

The door clattered open, and Rowan and Keorin both looked up guiltily. As both had expected (and dreaded), it was Reha. The violet Toa snorted before ordering, "Up."

Both younger Toa scrambled to their feet, the book they had been poring over only a moment before falling to the cold ground with a muffled thump. Their mentor glared at them for a minute longer. "I should have known. So, what do you two have to say for yourselves?"

When Rowan faltered for words, Keorin grinned sheepishly. "You shine brighter than anyone?"

Reha's glare didn't lessen in the least, and the young Water Toa faltered as well.

An awkward silence broke over the trio, broken only by the bored yawn of the Energy Hound behind the Thunder Toa. She absently reached down and scratched at Zayu's head. "Well? I'm waiting."

"Nothin' to say," Rowan grunted. "Just hurry up and punish us already so we can get on with our lives."

Reha snorted at his cheek. "You've got guts, kid. And I meant what I said before, I should have known I'd find you in here trying to look at my journal. Should've locked my door, to be honest, but that's in the past now, isn't it? So, what'd you two learn?"

"That you're planning to enter the Tournament and beat Katsu senseless, for one," Keorin said, and Reha smirked. "And...that you're gonna do your...big thing on Koriseva." The Water Toa looked up at her with big, hurt-looking yellow eyes, and she blinked. "Please don't do that, Lady Rave...it'll kill you..."

"Sometimes one must be sacrificed for the good of many," Reha said, and Rowan frowned at the nonchalance that it was said with.

"You know...just because you're still mad about what happened to your team doesn't mean you have to go get yourself killed to make up for it..."

"That's not what I'm trying to do," Reha snapped, although it was easy to see that the words had stung. "If me dying means that that guy doesn't get what he wants, then I'll do it. Hell, I'll do it GLADLY!"

"That's stupid!" Rowan snapped. "What's gonna happen after that, huh? There'll be no one to...to take care of things!"

She raised a brow. "Are you saying you aren't competent enough?"

His glare intensified, and she was reminded of just who his father was. Spirits, but he resembled him so much in that moment it was almost scary. Not a very comforting thought.

What might have been said between them was left unsaid, as Tazer burst in, a frenzied look on his face. He stopped when he saw Reha and Rowan glaring at each other, and gaped, mouth opening and closing. Immediately, Reha let up her assault on Rowan and crossed the room to the young Frozen. "What's the matter with you? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"I-I-I-I-I--"

She rolled her eyes and flicked him in the face, right in the red marking. He shook his head, seeming to recover, and said in a calmer voice, "I-I-I saw a ship!"

Keorin sighed. "There've been tons of ships comin' in lately, Taze. Prolly just another one that wants to join the Tournament, like that creepy 'Eris' lady that came last week."

He shook his head again, more vehemently this time. "N-n-no! Th-this one h-had T-T-Toa on it! L-lots of 'em!"

All activity stopped. Even Zayu perked up and looked at his mistress, whining slightly at the look on her face.

It took Reha exactly 2.7 seconds to make a decision. "Which port?"

"Th-the southeast one."

"They'll get lost then; no one ever uses that port anymore," Keorin put in. "Not since that seaweed monster-thing moved in."

"Exactly." Reha's eyes were grim. "Which is why we need to get down there stat. Toa will never put up with Koriseva's antics. If we can get there before Amoto and Macaber do, then..."

"Then we may have some allies." Rowan finished with a grin. "Alright! I wanna go!" He whooped when she nodded her consent.

Immediately Keorin set up a racket. "Why does HE get to go and not me?! I'm the Water Toa, I should be allowed around ports!"

"The last time I let you out of my sight, you broke into my room and read my journal." Reha snapped. "So did he, but don't forget that you ALSO snuck up on Katsu the second-to-last time I let you out of my sight. So no, Keorin, you don't get to go meet them. You and Tazer will be hiding out of sight with me and Zayu. Rowan will lead these Toa to us, and we'll convince them to join us."

"A-a-and if they d-don't?" Tazer ventured to ask.

She was silent for a minute. Then, "Well, it won't be the first time we've had to get rid of a false ally, will it?"

Nothing more was said after that, and Rowan quickly excused himself to go grab his cloak and be on his way towards the southeast port. As he went, he heard his mentor order Keorin and Tazer to pick her things up and put them back where they were supposed to be.

It was still too early to think of the last false ally they'd had to deal with. He just hoped this wouldn't be a repeat of that. Just because his hands were red didn't mean he couldn't see the blood on them.

* * *

"_I got to face it  
Won't close my eyes  
And hide the truth inside  
If I don't make it  
Someone else will."  
--Within Temptation, "Stand My Ground"_

* * *

**AN: OK, so I kind of lied about the end of the romantic tension crap, but I realized I had completely forgotten about the Icarax/Silarial stuff and wanted to get it out of the way. That scene was killer to write. Not to mention my writing and drawing time has been kind of short lately because of finals, but now that those are over I have more time. I'll try to get my next **_**Blurbs**_** request done before Wednesday, because my best friend and I are going to San Francisco that day for a road trip.**

**Just to clarify - this really has nothing to do with that one oneshot in the **_**Blurbs**_** collection, where Silarial knew absolutely nothing about procreation. Here she DOES know about it, but not quite enough to formulate a real opinion on it. All she knows is that it makes babies and that, according to Gorast, it hurts.**

**But hey, after eight chapters, Matob and co. are FINALLY arriving at Freezeheart! I had originally considered putting in one more chapter before they did, but, well, that would pretty much be nothing but filler. So we cut right to the chase instead.**

**The scene with Vamprah was more or less inspired by my latest **_**Blurbs**_** request, and the fact that their relationship is still a little ambiguous. At some point I'll expand on it. I just don't know what I'm going to do with it yet XD**

**Anyway, please review!**


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